Better to Have Loved
by 26PearlZ
Summary: This is the journey of Jared and Kim from the time that Jared imprints and both lives are changed for the better, because it is simply always better to have loved.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I cannot say that I own any of the characters or ideas from Twilight.

Kim

He was back. After more than two weeks of absence, Jarred Thail had finally returned to school. I didn't really like to think about why this news gave me a sudden thrill, because that would mean admitting what I had been trying to hide since elementary school; my big, fat crush him. Yes I, Kim Connweller, honor roll student and band geek extraordinaire had a thing for a boy that had never even bothered to learn my name. I watched, in what I hoped was a discreet manner, as Jarred sashayed his way from the doorway to the back of the English classroom to take his assigned seat next to me.

It took everything in my power to keep my eyeballs in their sockets and my drool in my mouth as I took in the once beautiful boy that was now undoubtedly replaced by well over six feet of gorgeous, muscular man. His soft dark hair, highlighted naturally with several lighter shades of brown, was cut short and his usual grin was replaced with a well-worn grimace. His perfectly-toned muscles had doubled in size much to my ogling pleasure, and his new height made every object in the room suddenly seem tiny and absurd. The only things that had stayed the same were his flawless russet skin and those warm brown eyes that would be so easy to get lost in. You know, if he ever bothered to look my way long enough for me to get lost, or even take a wrong turn.

A large hand grabbed the back of the plastic blue chair to the right of me, and I watched as Jared plopped onto the chair, tossing aside his backpack as he did so. He looked frustrated and his eyes flit from one staring person to the next. Not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, I averted my gaze and pretended to be thoroughly engrossed in my old and battered copy of Pride and Prejudice.

Jared

As I walked through the hallway and to my English class, I could hear the whispers of everyone I passed. The rumors were spreading like wildfire, as they so often do. Some said I was on steroids; others were convinced that I was a new gang leader, and my personal favorite was the one where I had spent the past two weeks in rehab. For what addiction, I wasn't quite sure, but I had heard everything for alcohol to crack. Gossip was something that I didn't like to justify with a reaction, but in this case it was becoming more difficult by the minute. I yanked back a cheap plastic chair and plopped onto it, exhausted from endless patrols. I wanted to plug my ears with my fingers and sing obnoxiously so that every word in the room was blocked from my mind, but I didn't need and rumors going around that I had spent those two weeks in the loony bin. So I instead thought of Paul, was still in the woods behind Sam and Emily's house unable to keep tabs on his temper despite the fact that he had turned only three days after me. I chuckled to myself and shook my head; nothing was ever simple or easy with Paul. I tossed my backpack to the side after taking out my literature book, which I clunked onto the two-person table loudly, and I saw the girl next to me jump. A well-worn copy of Pride and Prejudice toppled to the floor and she let out a little squeak of surprise. I apologized briefly and was about to roll my eyes at the reaction when I realized that that was by far the cutest sound that had ever reached my ears. Suddenly it was all I could hear; it filled my mind, and all I could think was that I wanted more. I wanted her to say something else; I wanted to hear that beautiful, melodious voice again.

I picked the book delicately, not wanting to harm it, and I turned to get a look its owner… and suddenly I was floating. Anything that had once been important to me, any ties that I had to this world were all severed and reattached to this one flawless, wonderful girl. I drank in her appearance- the first thing I saw were the eyes. They were an inviting and warm dark brown with majestic specs of gold that held me transfixed, and they were matched with a perfect little nose and wonderfully alluring lips, full and red. Her long dark hair was somewhere between dark brown and black, falling in waves down her back and complimenting her flawless bronze skin. I stared at her, completely awestruck, until she blushed and let her hair fall over her face.

"Umm… ex-excuse me?" With those words she immediately had my attention. "Yes?" I asked in a soft voice, still savoring that sound of her voice.

"May I… have my book back please?" I nodded and surrendered it immediately, placing it gently in the palm of her hand.

Kim

The moment I spoke, Jared snapped to attention and he seemed utterly fixated on what I was going to say next. I almost laughed at that though right then and there, but I kept it to myself. People very rarely cared much about what I had to say. I sat in the back, and always did as I was told. The only time I really stood out was when I played my instrument of choice-the French horn. There was nothing that I didn't love about music. School had always come easily to me, and music was the one time that I could be truly challenged. I asked him softly for my book back, and I was surprised when he placed it in the palm of my hand so delicately you would think that it was made of glass.

"Thank you," I muttered softly and turned to face the front of the room again, not wanting to bother him with my presence.

"Anytime," Jared responded with a wink, a thoughtful expression flashing briefly across his face before moving a little closer to me and catching my fleeting gaze. "Has anybody ever told you that you are just… unimaginably beautiful?" He asked me, and I was so shocked that I slid right off of my chair and landed on the floor with a thud before lurching forward and whacking my head on the hard wooded desk in front of me. Pain shot through my head, radiating from the bump forming over my right eye. I blinked away the tears forming over my head and looked up briefly to see that every eye in the entire room was trained on me, watching my every move. That is until Jared stood up from his chair so suddenly that it tipped over behind him, and he turned to poor Mr. Williamson who was sitting at his desk typing away at his computer and said "I'm taking her see the nurse now." With that, he leaned down and scooped me up, carrying me in his arms as if I weighed no more than a feather. I blushed furiously, wishing that I wasn't at the center of this spectacle. He carried me from the room, and I was so wrapped up in the fact that I was actually here, in _Jared Thail's_ arms that I didn't notice the unnatural heat that was radiating from them.

A/N: I _really_ hope that everybody enjoyed this story! I love the idea of telling the story of Jarred and Kim! Personally, I think that Stephenie Meyer should write books telling the stories of all of the members of the pack and their imprints, but seeing as that hasn't happened, everyone on fanfiction does a wonderful job! PLEASE REVIEW!

Tell me your opinion: Do you think that there should be books written about the lives of the wolves and their imprints?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: It's not mine. It should be. But it's not.

A/N: Sorry this took me so long! I have fifteen more days of school, so the teachers are loading me up with homework. Plus it's been sooo nice out this week, like paradise in Michigan! Anyway, I know it's short but it's just to tide us over until the weekend! Enjoy!

Kim

I sat in the nurse's office as she fussed over me, and wished that the Earth would just open up and swallow me whole. I stared at the ground and quietly mumbled the answers to any questions and blushing when Jared explained how my injury had come to be. Sighing and patting my arm, she wrote me a pass and told me that I could go home seeing as there was only one hour left in the day. My heart sank a little at the thought of missing my last and favorite hour-band. I told her that I would stay for the remainder of the day, but she waved me off.

"Don't be silly, dear. Go home, take some Tylenol and rest. And keep ice on that bump, you really hit that desk hard."

"It's okay, really. I'll be okay. I take the bus, and my dad is out of town right now…" I trailed off and looked at the floor again. It seemed like I was doing a lot of that lately.

Jared

She made it evident that she had no way of getting home, and I took that as my cue. Jumping out of my seat, I addressed the nurse.

"I'm going to be taking this stunning young lady home now, if that's okay with you." It was against the rules, and we all knew this, but the nurse simply nodded and flashed a sympathetic smile her way. It was as we were walking down the hallway that it hit me. I didn't even know _her_ name. I was in the presence of the love of my life, and I hadn't even bothered to learn her name. Suddenly I felt as if the air had been stolen from my lungs. How could I not know the name of the most perfect creature to ever walk this Earth? As we reached my beat-up old truck I walked around automatically and opened the door, closing it when she was safely tucked into the seat.

Kim

It was after I climbed into Jared's car that I realized he had spoken to me more in the last half hour than in all of our years of school put together. And never once had he addressed me by my name. I peeked out of the corner of my eye, glancing away quickly when our eyes met. It made me nervous that he was looking at me instead of the road. I squeaked out a couple of directions, and we settled into a silence that was not nearly as uncomfortable as would be expected. One may even go so far as to call it comfortable. I spent most of the drive building up the courage to ask the one thing that had been in my mind since I had been carefully tucked away into the comfortable truck. Turning in my seat, and tucking my hair behind my ears I said "Jared?"

A small smile made its way across his handsome face and his eyes went from the road onto me. "Yes?"

"Do you even know my name?" The smile vanished as quickly as it had come, and he fixed his eyes back on the road in front of us. I had the distinct impression that I had done something to anger him, and the sensation made me wish that I was back at school, enjoying my last hour.

"It's Kim," I muttered quietly, smiling and not being able to resist singing when he turned the radio on. And as I sang away, comfortable in my own little world, my worries vanished and I wished that this road would go on and on forever.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: It's not mine, blah blah blah.

Kim

He hadn't even known my name. For a moment, I thought that maybe he like me. I mean the guy carried me from class, sat by me as the nurse made sure I was okay, he skipped school to drive me home. But, some people will do anything to get out of class. I watched Jared drive away, not allowing myself to feel acknowledge the disappointment that was slowly creeping its way into my heart. Fully intending to drown my emotions in schoolwork, I glanced around and sighed at the realization that it was still in Mr. Williamson's classroom, along with my favorite book. I flopped onto the bed before reaching over and grabbing the guitar that was propped up against the wall. Absentmindedly strumming away, I thought over the events of the day, and they were so odd that I almost couldn't believed they had happened to begin with. Maybe I hit my head even harder than I originally thought and I imagined it…that seemed like an okay explanation. My fingers slowly ceased motion, and my eyelids slid closed, sending me into the blissful state of sleep.

My eyes flew open and darted to the traitorous digital clock that told me I was late. I ungracefully rolled out of bed, slid on my shoes and ran out the door and down the street that separated me from my destination. I rang the doorbell, and when the door swung open it revealed a tall middle-aged woman with short sleek hair, prominent cheekbones, and a warm, welcoming smile.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Mrs. Lahote," I told her. I had never before kept a music student waiting, and I was rather unhappy that I had now. She waved it off and pulled me into her for a big, much needed hug. I couldn't remember the last time anyone in my family had shown me any semblance of affection, unless you counted the note that was scribbled on a napkin from my mom telling me how much she loved me. But I didn't, because in my mind the second half of that note-the half where she says she is leaving me and my dad forever-kind of cancels that out. So Mrs. Lahote took it upon herself to mother me, a gesture that I greatly appreciated, even if I didn't really know how to say it.

"Where's your father been, Kim? I haven't seen him around." This was the same question she would always ask when my father is out of town, so I gave her the same answer.

"He's staying near the firm in Seattle. He's got a big case load right now." The answer was true, but I knew for a fact that Mrs. Lahote had some pretty strong things to say about a single man who saw his daughter only about a week every month-she was just too polite to say them. Nodding, she ushered me through the door and into the warm house. It was small, just big enough for their family of four. The phone rang and she rushed to answer it, making a little small talk before hanging up the phone and calling up the stairs.

"Paul!" She yelled up the stairs. I watched as Jared's best friend swung his door open dramatically, clomped down the stairs, nodded a greeting to me, and went to stand in front of his mother.

"Yes?" He asked, sighing.

"Sam needs you," she told him. "Stay safe. And do _not_ take that tone with me." As I sat myself down at the small piano that was skillfully situated in the small living room, I couldn't help but be amazed at how much Paul had grown since the last time I had seen him. It couldn't have been more than three weeks ago. He was, if possible, even slightly bigger than Jared. Paul left the comfortable home grumbling about something to do with Sam Uley, ducking his head to avoid a collision with the doorframe on the way out. It was then Mrs. Lahote sent in my Piano student; a little girl with a big smile, a loving family, and free music lessons.

A/N: Yeah, this chapter was all about Kim, but it was necessary. I promise the next chapter will be filled to the brim with Kim and Jared goodness! So just to avoid any confusion, here is the cliff notes version of Kim's life: Kim never really had a happy family. Her mom left her freshman year (she's a junior now) and her dad spend most of his time at a big law firm in Seattle (at which he is a partner). Kim is kind of a music protégé but she would never admit that because she is far too modest. She gives free music lessons, and she has all kinds of instruments because her dad tries to make up for forcing his only daughter to live alone most of the time by buying her instruments (but her favorite is the French horn). Kim gives lessons to Paul's sister. Phew. So there it is!

So, does anybody play an instrument? If so, please share! If not, what's your favorite instrument? I play three (yes I know that's nerdy, but I love music!). Tell me and I'll try to fit it into the story line!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: It still isn't mine

A/N: The chapters are short, but I have exactly eight days (two four-day weeks) of school left, so with pesky school out of the way, I should be able to write a lot more! Enjoy and review!

The next morning I awoke refreshed and ready to begin a new day. I pulled on a worn out pair of jeans, a long sleeve Tee, and my favorite pain of converse. I pulled my long hair back into a tight French braid, brushed my teeth, and was ready to go. Pulling on my rain jacket and stepping out into the light spring mist with every intention of walking to the bus stop, when I stopped in my tracks. There, sitting in my driveway, was Jared. I stood there uncomfortably in the headlights, unsure of what I was supposed to do. I shifted my weight from foot to foot and stared through the mist with hope that Jared's expression would give me some hint as to what I was supposed to do, but was unsuccessful. Thankfully, he didn't leave me standing there for long. Wrenching open the door and hopping to the ground with unexpected grace. He walked up so close to me that his breath tickled me when he spoke.

"I took the courtesy of going back to get your books after school yesterday, and I remembered that you didn't have a ride, and I remembered how much the bus sucks, and I thought that since it was only a couple minutes out of my way it was only polite to offer you a ride, so… here I am, offering you a ride to school. With me." I couldn't help but smile a little at this. It seemed that we had the opposite problem; I had a hard time speaking and he found it difficult to stop speaking. I peeked up at him and if I didn't know better, I would have thought there was adoration in the look he was giving me. But it was rather hard to adore a girl whose name you had known for less than twenty-four hours. Suddenly I realized that he awaiting my answer and I felt my cheeks warm as I nodded my consent.

A goofy grin spread across his face and I found it to be contagious; my mouth turned up at the corners. I went to open the passenger side door, but he beat me to it, yanking the door open and gesturing for me to climb in. He offered me his hand in assistance, and suddenly I thought that just maybe chivalry wasn't completely dead after all. My smile grew and I took him up on his offer, placing my hand in his and hoisting myself into his truck. And that was when it hit me.

For the first time in a long time I wasn't…cold. It seemed like ever since I could remember, I was cold in some way. I had always chalked it up to the complete lack of sun. I was currently wearing three pair of socks. But the moment my hand touched his, a wonderful warmth spread throughout my body, starting at my previously numb fingertips and working its way to my formerly red nose. The warmth spread through every cell in my body, and all I could do was let out a little gasp. Our eyes met, and neither of us moved a muscle. By the sparkle in his eyes, I could tell that he felt everything just as strongly as I had.

"Kim," Jared whispered softly, entwining his fingers with mine.

"Jared," I answered back in a barely audible tone.

"Will you go on a date with me?" These words shook me out of whatever trance I had been in. I dropped his hand and hurriedly put some distance between us. Yesterday he hadn't even known my name, and today he wanted to go on a date? I couldn't help but be hesitant. Not knowing how to say this, I just shook my head in the negative and began to fast-walk to the bus stop. I glanced down at the small gold watch that hung from my neck on a matching chain and mentally cursed-something I rarely did. I had missed my bus. The rain fell heavier, slapping itself against my jacket noisily.

As I stood ridged in at the end of my driveway, my feet became soaked through my converse and my forehead began to throb. Water dripped off of my fingertips and splashed onto the pavement. Even though it was spring, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the cold. My whole body shook, my teeth chattered, and suddenly all of my surroundings began to spin. There was a churning in my stomach and as I was hit with a strong wave of nausea I slapped a hand over my mouth and attempted to make a beeline for the bathroom.

Instead of making it safely into my warm, dry house, I took a few wrong steps on the still-spinning driveway and felt myself falling. I waited to hit the ground, but I never did; a set of scorching hands wrapped around my waist and chased away my chills. Then I puked.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: It still isn't mine.

A/N: Sorry this chapter has taken so long! I've been spending all of my time cramming for finals, but school got out yesterday so you can be expecting more chapters soon! Read, enjoy, and tell me what you think!

When I awoke, thunder still boomed and lightning cracked sending flashes of electricity across the otherwise grey sky. I glanced at the alarm clock perched on my nightstand as gasped at the time, sitting up a little too quickly as it all came rushing back to me. I groaned and looked up at the ceiling; I had thrown up in front of Jared Thail. Great. I pulled back the pile of blankets and shivered immediately at the cool draft. Standing up quickly, I changed from my jeans to a pair of warm sweatpants and thick socks before releasing my hair from its braid and allowing it to cascade down my back.

I was about to make my way down the stairs into the living room, when I heard a loud clanging coming from the kitchen followed by a series of swear words that put a frown on my face. I panicked for a moment, jumping to the worst of conclusions until I remembered-Jared. I made my way over to my bedroom window, and sure enough, there was his old, beat-up, blue tuck sitting in my driveway like it owned the place.

Cautiously, I stepped from my bedroom and made my way down the stairs. I stood just outside of the kitchen, when Jared looked up. I was fairly certain that I hadn't made any noise, but somehow he had known that I was standing there watching the scene that was unfolding before me. It was Jared surrounded by pots and pans that had obviously fallen from their places in the cupboard above the stove. At the frustrated look in his eyes I couldn't help but laughing.

I watched in good humor as he neatly stacked all of the pots in the cupboard with such ease-I had to stand on my toes to reach it, and even then it was a close call. He left one and set it on the stove before turning to me and grinning.

"Are you hungry? Chicken-noodle soup always makes me feel better," he told. I shook my head no and muttered something that I was sure he wouldn't be able to make out. I wasn't even sure what I had said. He raised one eyebrow and an amused expression covered his face.

"Can you say that again please? I didn't catch it the first time." I looked at the ceiling the back at the floor before settling on his face.

"I'm a vegetarian," I told him softly, and his expression softened the way it did lately whenever I spoke.

"Tomato soup, then?"

"No that's okay, you don't have to-"

"I want to," he interrupted, coming over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, and guiding me to my couch. "You just lay here and get better." I wasn't really sure what to say to that, so I just kept my mouth shut and nodded. I curled up on the couch and turned on the television, not really paying any attention to it. I got up and turned up the heat, then sat back down and pulled a blanket over myself. I heard some clanking of dishes and silverware, and a few moments later Jared appeared next the couch and handed me a bowl and spoon. I quietly muttered a 'thank you' and watched as Jared lifted my legs from the end of the couch, sat down, and plopped them over his legs so that they were draped over his lap. We both finished our soup in silence and I couldn't help but think that this was just too weird. How many guys out there would skip school to come over and make soup for a girl that they had known less than twenty-four hours?

I set my dish on the floor and sighed contently. He grinned over and me, but frowned when he saw that I was getting up.

"Where are you going?" He asked me, sounding disappointed.

"To get another pair of socks," I told him, and we both gazed at my feet.

"You have two pair on already," he pointed out, and I just shrugged, blushing a little. It wasn't my fault that my feet popsicles, even with my being so close to him. Jared shook his head a little and told me that I wasn't going anywhere, then proceeded to wrap his big hands around my toes, his warmth slowly making its way through my layers and prompting the smile that slowly spread across my face.

The rest of the day was spent watching sitcom reruns and my answering any question that Jared could think of;

"What's your favorite color?"

"Yellow."

"Favorite book?"

"Pride and Prejudice."

"Favorite plant?"

"Sunflower."

Which is why I wasn't surprised when he turned to ask me another question-it was the question itself that surprised me.

"Will you go on a date with me?" he asked again, his face looking so hopeful that I couldn't bear to say no for the second time today. Especially not after everything he had done for me.

"Yes," I told him simply, not asking the question that was on my mind. A bright smile broke out across his face, but dimmed a little when he saw my conflicted expression.

"What's wrong, Kim?" he asked, unable to hide the worry in his tone. I looked down at my hands, and Jared waited patiently for a response.

"I was just wondering…" I began, and took a deep breath before continuing. "I was just wondering why all of a sudden you like me. We've had a lot of classes together…and you just learned my name yesterday…" I trailed off, not sure how to finish, and looked up at Jared who was smiling down on me.

"That was the longest sentence you have ever said to me." He seemed to revel in his realization for a few beats before turning serious and focusing on my question.

"Lately I've…changed. In all honesty I'm not sure how I got by without you for so long," he said sincerely, giving my foot a squeeze. "But I only needed to see you once to realize how great you are, and I'll do anything to stay in your life." With those words, so adoring and sweet, I believed him completely. I reached over-blushing severely-and took his large hand, lacing our fingers together and smiling up at him. In that moment I was truly happy.

A/N: So… what did you think? Please, please, please review! I'm begging you all! They make me very happy, so if you could just click on the conveniently located button below, that would be great!

So, my favorite pack couple (obviously) is Kim and Jared. I think they should get a bigger part! What's your favorite (or least favorite) couple? Kim and Jared, Sam and Emily, Quil and Claire, Jacob and Renesmee, or Paul and Jacob's sister (I forgot her name)?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I hate saying that it isn't mine, but I must, and it's not.

A/N: This one is kind of long to make up for taking so long to post! My summer had turned out to be a lot busier than expected so far! I have birthdays, babysitting, and open houses, and there was father's day (which I almost forgot about, but remembered just in time). Well, read and review, I love and appreciate any and all input!

Chapter 6

Kim

That Saturday night, I sat as calmly as I possibly could on the piano bench, playing the keys softly as I waited for the minutes to tick by. I played through songs that I had long forgotten the titles to, the notes and tunes staying safely lodged in my mind. A rhythmic knock sounded at the door and I stood up abruptly, suddenly wondering at my appearance; my deep purple dress ended a few inches above my knees, the buttons of my long-sleeved black sweater were undone and coupled with a thin belt that wrapped itself around my midsection, and my favorite pair of flats. My long dark hair was curled away from my face and fell gracefully down my back. What if I was too dressed up? What if I didn't look as good as I had thought earlier as I so carefully inspected myself in the mirror?

Jared

I waited in the porch for Kim to come outside, more nervous than I had ever been before. But then again, there had never been a girl a special as Kim before. She swung open the door and I could swear that suddenly my entire air supply vanished; she was so beautiful and angelic, like a flawless porcelain doll. I never wanted to take my eyes off of her full, wonderful lips, those warm and caring eyes, those amazing cheekbones, those long legs… Kim cleared her throat and I snapped back to attention, grinning sheepishly.

"Kim you look… absolutely beautiful," I managed to get out. I didn't think that beautiful came even close to cutting it-I would just have to come up with a new word. A word that was worthy of Kim. I took a deep breath before holding out my hand and waiting for her to take it, smiling a relieved smile when she did. I led her to my truck and opened the passenger side door, making sure my Kim was safely inside and buckled before I went around and hopped in myself.

"That song was beautiful," I told her truthfully, referring to whatever I had heard on the piano as I approached her door. "What was it?"

Kim blushed that same adorable blush that was reserved for whenever she was being complimented before replying. "It was a combination of a lot of pieces I picked up over the years. It's nothing special," she told me, prompting my frown.

"Of course it's special," I objected. "How many people do you know that can do that? I only know one, and that one is you. How many instruments do you play, anyway?" I asked out of curiosity. I wanted to know everything there was to know about this girl, but music seemed to be the only thing she felt comfortable talking about, so music it would be.

I watched as the world's most dazzling smile spread across Kim's face, and she looked me square in the eyes for the first time that night. I don't know what it was about that question, but from that moment on, things with Kim were different. Much to my delight Kim seemed more comfortable around me, spending less time looking at the ground and answering my constant questions with relative ease-even occasionally asking some of her own.

"Well," Kim began. "I started with the piano, and then taught myself the guitar. I played the French horn in the band at school, which led to my playing the mellophone, and anybody who plays the mellophone can play the trumpet, then the baritone just progressed from there. After all that it hit me that I really had never tried any woodwind instruments so I began with the clarinet, then I tried the oboe and I did okay. Right now I'm staying after school on Mondays to learn the saxophone. I really enjoy the sound." At the end of all this all I could do was sit there in shock. That was, what, eight? Nine instruments? This girl was definitely one of a kind.

It hadn't slipped my mind that this was the most amount of words that I had ever heard Kim say at one time, but I didn't point it out-I didn't want to risk her getting self-conscious and slipping back into silent mode. It turned out that though Kim's words were usually far and few between, everything she said was said with conviction, and it didn't take me long to realize it was because in those silences between one sentence and the other she was carefully thinking over the words that were going to leave her mouth.

Kim

By the time we reached the Port Angeles movie theatre, I felt much more comfortable with Jared. I didn't know what it was about him that made me so utterly comfortable in his presence, but I didn't want it to end. We pulled to a stop and Jared was out of the car and around to open my door before I had even fully unbuckled my seatbelt.

I smiled up at Jared as he closed the door behind me, and shivered a little at the chilly night air, realizing for the first time that I had forgotten to bring a warmer coat. I may have been spring, but spring in Washington didn't mean much. Here there were really only two seasons; winter and summer. Jared seemed to notice, and he immediately shrugged off his jacket and helped me into it before wrapping one warm, muscular arm around me and pulling me close to his body. I was instantly warmed by the lingering warmth of the jacket and, of course, by the abnormal heat that seemed to radiate from Jared at all times.

"Thank you," I told him hesitantly, "are you sure you don't want it? I don't want you to get cold." At this Jared scoffed and simply shook his head before pressing an absentminded kiss to my temple as if he did it every day. It would be a lie if I said that I wasn't shocked, and as I let him lead me inside all I could focus on was the glorious warmth that was spreading through me starting at the exact spot where his lips met my skin. It was like sunlight breaking through the clouds, chasing away a storm. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face, and when I looked at him I saw a similar smile gracing his dazzling features.

We stood like that as seconds ticked by, just staring at each other. I was making it a point to memorize his face and store it away in my mind, just in case he decided that I wasn't worth it and I would no longer get to see him. A voice from the crowd called Jared's name and we both snapped to attention. I heard Jared let out an exasperated sigh as he caught sight of the group of people making their way toward us.

I instantly recognized Seth and Leah Clearwater; Seth made it a point to always say hi to me whenever he saw me, but I got the impression that he did that for everyone. Along with them were two other boys that I knew were freshmen with Seth, but had never spoken to.

"Hey, Kim!" Seth greeted me happily. I offered him a smile and said a small hello that he probably didn't hear. I felt Jared's other arm wrap around me and pull me even closer to his body, if that were possible-not that I was complaining. I looked at the other three not really sure what to do, so I just relaxed myself into Jared's arms and enjoyed my stay there.

"Kim," Jared said, getting my attention instantly. "These are my… um… friends. This is Brady and Collin," he pointed to the two boys I didn't know who smiled and gave me friendly waves. "And I guess you already know Seth and Leah." I waved back at Collin and Brady before nodding to confirm that I did indeed know Leah and Seth; Leah just scowled at me. I instantly shrunk back into Jared and looked up at him in time to see him shooting daggers at Leah.

"I'll be right back," I told him softly before heading over to the bathroom. I walked in and leaned against a sink, taking a deep breath before standing back and giving myself a quick once-over. I heard someone shuffle into the bathroom behind me and was surprised that when I glanced up, I saw Leah Clearwater. She stood there looking a little awkward before looking up at me. "Jared doesn't know what movie you want to see. I was sent in here to do recon, but I think it would be more effective to just ask." All of this was said in the same flat, monotone voice. It was a little cold and very uninviting, but cold and uninviting was what I was used to.

"Oh, okay," I told her softly, looking at the ground. She had been sizing me up, and by her expression she wasn't impressed. I was unsure what to say so I just slowly made my way to the restroom door.

"Jared talks about you so much. About how great you are. But you seem average to me. You give me the same look of pity that I get from everyone on the Rez, and I just want to say that I don't need or want anyone's pity." I stopped in my tracks, and took some time to maul over what she had just told me. Not many people would be that direct. Did I pity Leah? I turned around slowly, giving myself time to think, and for the first time I looked Leah straight in the eye and told her the truth.

"I don't pity you, Leah." Leah scoffed, but I chose to ignore it. "I pity the weak, and you are the strongest person that I have ever me. I only wish that I could be as strong as you." When I finished my spiel, a moment of silence settled over the room as Leah digested what I had told her. Then, out of nowhere, she cracked a small smile.

"I like you," she told me, and I smiled back at her. I asked her what movie she was here to see and she rolled her eyes. Some new scary movie that these losers aren't old enough to buy their own tickets to. I'm not really into those films, but whatever. The things I do for you guys," she said addressing the boys, who were short of Jared by only a few inches each. She ruffled Seth's hair and he automatically smoothed it back out.

"You can come with us," I offered in a friendly voice. "You can buy their tickets and then come to our movie." I was sure Jared was frowning, but I ignored it, looking only at Leah.

"Maybe next time," she answered. "I don't want to crash your first date." she gave Jared a nod and flashed me a smile before walking off. Jared looked down at me with his wonderfully cute confused expression, and I just squeezed his hand.

I spent the rest of the night snuggled up against Jared, who made sure we were in contact at all times, which I couldn't complain about. The car ride home was filled with music and laughter and the occasional comfortable silence, and by the time we pulled into my driveway I found myself sad that the night was coming to an end. Jared helped me out of the car and closed the door, but neither of us moved. He was at least a head taller than me, but he was bent down so that we were almost eye level. And then I happened; he kissed me. He pressed his lips to mine and it felt so wonderfully, perfectly amazing that I wanted nothing more out of life then to never stop kissing him. It was slow, and sweet, and ended way to soon when Jared pulled away and walked my up to my door.

"I'm going to a friend's house tomorrow. Would you like to come?" I just nodded, and bit my lip to contain my smile. I gave him one more kiss and went inside.

A/N: I hope you like it! I have every intention of making Kim and Leah friends, so please, tell me what you think about that!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: It's not mine.

A/N: Kim is meeting the pack, scary! I hope you enjoy, this is one of my favorite chapters so far. Read and review…you know you want to!

Chapter 7

Jared

"Take it easy on Kim, guys. _Please_. She was tossing and turning all night-" I broke off and turned and punch Paul for rolling his eyes before continuing. "She gets really nervous meeting new people…and sometimes conversing with people she already knows…or really anyone for that matter. She's shy okay?" I ended defensively, looking around and daring anyone to comment. I thought it was adorable how shy she was. Emily rescued me by coming over to my place in the living room and wrapping one arm around me reassuringly.

"She sounds _wonderful_ Jared. I can't wait to meet her! And if any one of you boys gives her any trouble they can find someone else to cook for them," Emily said in her stern, motherly voice. She let her gaze travel threateningly over the horrified faces of all of my brothers before smiling her satisfied half-smile and walking back into the kitchen. I followed her, leaning against the counter and eying a chocolate chip cookie. I reached for one when I thought she wouldn't notice, and sighed a resigned and slightly dramatic sigh when I was intercepted by a hard wooden spoon that whacked my hand.

"_Emily,_" I whined to no avail. Emily was immune to all of our antics. She just shook her head.

"_Jared_," She mocked, chuckling as the stuck the spoon back into the mixing bowl full of fluffy white mashed potatoes. "Are you sure Kim likes potatoes?" She asked nervously and I nodded, even though I wasn't sure.

"Well, she is a vegetarian, so I think saying that she likes potatoes would be a safe assumption." Emily's head snapped up at this.

"Jared! You didn't tell me she was a vegetarian! I made beef gravy!" I just shrugged.

"Kim doesn't even like gravy, so it doesn't matter either way," I pointed out. Emily's good eyebrow shot up. I could understand that. Who doesn't like gravy? I shrugged again before flashing her a smile and closing the door just in time to hear Emily tell me that dinner would be ready by the time we got back.

Kim 

On the ride over to Sam and Emily's I found that even with the radio on I couldn't stop worrying. Would they like me? I _really_ wanted them to like me. We were eating there, I really hope I didn't have to be all rude and turn down whatever Emily made. I had been a vegetarian for years, but I could probably give it up for Jared. Did I look okay? I had left my long hair to dry into its natural waves, thrown on a plain black t-shirt, a pair of new-looking jeans, and my favorite converse. I didn't bother with a jacket, because now that Jared kept at least one arm around me at all times, I found that it really wasn't necessary.

We had spent close to ten minutes standing on my porch, much to my delight kissing, before settling in his truck and starting off. We pulled into the driveway of a tiny, homey-looking house and Jared stopped the truck, coming around to open my door. I took that time to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. I had never been a people person, but I was really great at making things more awkward than they needed to be. I was so good at it, in fact, that my mother used to tell me it was my super power. When I was little I thought it was cool to have a super power, but as I got older it was easy to see that she was just making fun of me.

Jared helped me from the truck and wrapped one arm comfortingly around my waist, pulling me close to him. I gave him a small smile, and felt a wonderful set of lips press themselves against my temple. Jared swung the door open and we stepped inside, and I was genuinely surprised to see just how many giants fit into this one small house. We walked through the cute little house, me meeting everyone.

Seth, Collin, and Brady from last night were watching a ball game with Paul Lahote, cheering and yelling at the television. Jacob and Embry sat at the kitchen table arguing over something to do with cars, and Quil sat in the middle of the living room floor with an adorable toddler playing the world's longest game of Peek-a-Boo. As I was introduced I got every form of acknowledgement from a head nod to a high five, but it was the little girl that truly surprised me. She stood up from the floor mid-game and stuck out her tiny hand.

"I'm Cwaire," She told me, smiling her cute little smile as I bent down and shook her hand. "My name is Kim," I told her with a soft smile. I let go of her hand, but she reached both of her arms up and stood in from of me and said "Up," as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I supposed that maybe it was. I reached down and picked her up, lifting her away from a devastated-looking Quil. I smiled sympathetically at him, even though I had no idea why my holding Claire would devastate him, before turning back to Claire, who seemed completely fascinated with my hair. She grabbed it in her tiny fists, and released it before repeating the procedure.

I smiled up at Jared before sitting on the floor cross-legged next to Quil, setting Claire on the ground in front of me, and taking a section of hair from the opposite side of my head. I showed her how to separate it into three different sections and how to overlap them until it turned into a braid. The little girl was absolutely fascinated, attempting the same maneuver on my hair in her clumsy little girl fashion until the hair on the left side of my head was turned into a giant knot slightly resembling a braid.

Claire jumped up and down clapping her hands and squealing at her success. Not really caring how my hair looked, I sat amused as she tangled the right half of my hair to match the other. I clapped for her along with Quil as she finished and leaned into Jared's side as he wrapped an arm around me from his place on the floor. I looked up from Claire and found that most of the boys were staring straight at me. I blushed and fixed my gaze the carpet, looking up only when Claire spoke.

"Now me! Me now Kimmy!," She said excitedly as she turned her back to me and plopped ungracefully onto the floor. I couldn't help but giggle a little as I parted her soft hair and separated it into two parts, French braiding both sides quickly and securing them with the fuzzy pink hair ties that Quil brought me on Claire's orders. When I finished she hopped up and threw her arms around my neck, and kissed me sloppily on the cheek before going back to Quil.

It was then that a women-who had apparently been watching my whole interaction with Claire-rushed forward. I stood up, Jared following pursuit, and the woman promptly pulled me into a hug. "That was just so sweet," she told me, releasing me and stepping back into the arms of a rather intimidating man.

"Kim," Jared told me, putting his hands on my shoulders and messaging them slightly. "This is Sam," he gestured to the man, "and Emily." He gestured toward the woman. I smiled at them both nervously and Sam stepped forward and shook my hand before going back to Emily.

"It's very nice to meet you, Kim," he told me. It was then that Emily chose to announce that dinner was ready, and all the boys darted toward the kitchen, Jared dragging me along by the hand.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: It_ still_ isn't mine.

A/N: This chapter's pretty short, it's the rest of dinner at Sam and Emily's house. Read, review, enjoy!

Chapter 8

Kim

There was something about Sam and Emily's house that made me feel at ease, like I had been visiting my whole life. Somehow, everything just fit. The counter was so covered in dishes of food that its surface was no longer visible, and somehow Emily had managed to fit me in among eight giants and a constantly giggling toddler at the dining room table. I watched in awe of this wonderful pseudo-family; everything that had been absent my entire life could be found at this table. There was so much going on at one time that I could only hear fragments of conversations.

"Claire, honey, the food goes in your mouth..."

"Seriously, Jake, just get over her…"

"I'll add that to the shopping list…"

A butter knife flew by my face and I watched with bated breath to see where it would end up. I watched as Paul Lahote caught it effortlessly and tossed it back to Jacob Black. Emily scowled, and over Claire's laughing, Quil's strange sounds, and a disagreement between Jared, Seth, and Embry I heard her outraged voice. "I told you _not_ to throw my silverware in the house! If I see that again neither of you will be on the receiving end of desert. And I made _pie._" At this, both mumbled their apologies, but only Jacob had the decency to actually look the part.

I looked to the end of the table where Sam sat, taking everything in. He watched as everything unfolded and it struck me that he looked more like a protective father than a friend, or employer, or whatever inaccurate word Jared had used to describe his relationship with Sam. Sam met my gaze and I blushed, catching a glimpse of a strained but friendly smile aimed toward me before I fixed my gaze on the food covering my plate. I glanced back up quickly and offered Sam a small smile in return before looking back at my plate. I got the impression that Sam didn't smile much, and I appreciated the gesture.

My head snapped up instantly at the sound of someone saying my name. I looked up to see Embry Call and Seth Clearwater looking at me expectantly.

"Kim, Jared here tells us that you play nine instruments. Is that really true, or is he exaggerating?" I looked down at my lap, bit my lip and looked up at Jared, who had been sneaking looks at me since dinner began, before looking back at Embry. I nodded my head and leaned against the arm that Jared had resting on the back of my chair.

"No way," Embry said, and I was a little shocked that he thought I was lying. "Name them." And as I named each one off, Jared smiled a little more proudly, Embry's eyebrows rose just a little bit higher, and Seth ticked them off, counting them on his fingers.

"He was telling the truth, man," Seth said triumphantly. "Pay up." I watched as Embry grumbled, stuffed his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a five dollar bill. He slapped it into Seth's hand and continued to shovel food down his throat, not even bothering to chew. I looked up at Jared in confusion, and he just kissed my nose and chuckled.

Later, I stood by the sink drying dishes as Emily handed them to me, and doing with them whatever I was told. Sam had left with Collin and Brady, saying something about patrolling something or other, and most of the boys sat in the living room. I thought it a little rude that no help had been offered to Emily other than my own, but said nothing. Jared was perched on the counter nearest to me eating what looked like an entire pie-apparently Emily had baked them each their own. Emily chatted lightly as we worked, and thankfully wasn't the type of person who needed a lot from my side to continue the conversation.

"Thanks, Kim," she told me fondly before looking at the clock. "It's getting a little late. Don't you all have school tomorrow?" Emily inquired, receiving groans from the other room. "I think it's time you all went home and got a good night's sleep. Kim, it was great to meet you. Please come back very soon, I can't think of anything I would like more." With that, Emily gave me a happy smile and a tight hug, which I returned happily. She then hugged all the boys, and told them to get out of her house and get some sleep. Jared and I said our goodbyes, and made our way home, and as I kissed him good night I could only think of how much I wanted him to stay.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer:  It's funny how it _still_ isn't mine… oh wait. It isn't funny. It isn't funny at all.

A/N:  I think this is going to be a pretty good chapter! Jared and Kim's first day at school as a couple. Aww, how adorable! I hope you love it, and don't forget to review!

Chapter 9

Kim

The next morning I woke to find Jared sitting at my kitchen table, eating a stack of pancakes.

"Hey…" I said a little hesitantly. Jared smiled a syrupy smile and got up to kiss me, leaving my mouth sticky and sweet. If I didn't love kissing Jared so much, I might have found it gross.

"I made pancakes," he told me proudly, stating the obvious, and I couldn't help but giggle. He nodded to a second plate of delicious looking pancakes speckled with blueberries, carefully crafted into the shape of a heart. I felt my heart melt at the sight and I walked over to Jared and pulled him into a hug.

"This is the sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me," I told him, not wanting to let him go. He kissed me again, harder this time, long enough for that wonderful warmth to spread throughout my body. I smiled, pecked his lips one last time, and moved to take my seat, surprised instead to find myself falling backwards and landing safely in Jared's lap. I froze for a moment, a little unsure of myself, and looked up to find Jared studying me curiously. I smiled up at him warmly, pulled my pancakes over to me, and ate them happily.

As it turns out, when the hottest guy in school starts dating the girl who's name nobody can remember, people notice. Which is why, as Jared and I walked down the hall hand-in-hand, there were a lot of whispers, pointing, and inquisitive stares. I knew for a fact that Jared noticed them, but he seemed dead set against acknowledging their existence, so I took a hint and pretended like everything was normal.

Jared walked me to my first class, or should I say he walked me _into_ my first class, pulled out my chair for me, set on my desk the books he had insisted on carrying, and kissed my flaming cheek before heading to his own class. I got up to sharpen my pencil-the only thing Jared let me carry-and found that everyone was staring at me. I ducked my head down, blushed, and hastily accomplished my task before returning to my seat in the back of the room.

The next hour went by agonizingly slowly, and I spent the time alternately thinking about Jared and writing Jared's name in fancy scrawl next to mine. The bell rang and I was happily surprised to find Jared waiting outside my door. Before I could say anything, he yanked me around the corner and into an extra classroom-whoever built the school had seriously overestimated the number of students in attendance-pulled me close to him, and kissed my hard. My arms wound around his neck of their own accord, and his wonderfully warm hands wound themselves around my waist. Our lips moved in sync, perfectly together, and for a second I thought I had died and gone to heaven, but then I remembered that as long as Jared was around I would never get hurt.

The bell rang telling me that I was late, and I broke away from Jared and gasped. I yanked myself from Jared's arms, kissed his cheek, and ran off toward my next class. The next three hours were uneventful and agonizingly slow, and I began to wonder if I was ever going to be able to concentrate on anything but Jared ever again. I really doubted it. Mercifully, the bell rang and I was thankful that the student body was small enough to fit into just one lunch.

It shouldn't have surprised me when I walked out of the room to find Jared waiting there, but my heart still skipped a few beats. I smiled brightly when he laced his fingers through mine, his hand engulfing my own, and pressed a kiss to my temple as we walked down the hallway to the cafeteria. We joined the lunch line and I got a few angry stares from the girls in the surrounding area, which I tried to ignore but couldn't help but blush. It seemed like red was now the permanent color of my face. I fixed my gaze on our intertwined hands until I felt Jared tug lightly on the end of my braid and I lifted my eyes to meet his.

"You're beautiful," he told me in a whisper, and my pulse sped up.

"Thank you," I told him earnestly, moving up with the line. I grabbed the first thing in sight and felt a little guilty when he insisted on paying for it, but knew that he wouldn't back down. I let Jared lead me to his usual lunch table, where everyone that had been at Emily's house was already seated. I got bright greetings from all with the exception of Paul, who just gave me his usual head-nod, and Jacob who had taken to banging his head repeatedly on the cheap lunch table.

I looked questioningly up at Jared who, for once, was avoiding my gaze. I took the hint-if Jared wouldn't tell me it was probably because it wasn't any of my business. After a few moments, Jacob ceased his painful-looking actions long enough to look up at me and share a few depressing words. "Kim," he told me, looking me in the eye. "Life sucks, and then you die." I was astounded by his words, but decided not to let them effect me, taking a minute to think about his revelation.

"One of the best things about life is that it's always changing. If you really think your life sucks, do something to change it," I told him. There were more than enough shocked expressions to go around, but I chose not to acknowledge them, taking a bite from my apple instead.

A/N: Well, I really hope you liked this chapter! And I really think that Kim's advice is right. If your life just completely sucks, there is usually something you can do to make better. Phew! I hope you were all holding your breath, because that was pretty deep! Don't forget to review, I love them all!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: It _still_ isn't mine.

A/N: I hope you all really like this chapter. I had to put some extra effort in because I'm having a really bad week…or more accurately, bad things keep happening to me! My week started off nice and normal, and everything kind of went downhill from there. So here this chapter is, one bruised and cut foot, skinless knee, pounding headache, sunburn, and large bruise later. Yeah. It's been a rough one. Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 10

Kim  
Lunch ended at the sound of the bell, and Jared wrapped his arm around me and walked me to the only class we shared. I smiled happily when he pulled out my chair for me before he took his own seat and slid it as close as possible to my own. I spent the hour trying to ignore both Jared, who was doing his very best to distract me from the lesson, and the curious glances being thrown my way. I kept my eyes fixed on the front of the room at all times, and took my hair from its braid to hide my face, but was all too aware of the pairs of eyes that were burning holes in me, and the fact that Jared was playing with a strand of my long hair.

Once again the bell saved me and I gathered by books, eager to get the music annex, where the school kept us isolated so we wouldn't distract the other students.

"I'll meet you outside the music room right after school," he told me with a smile as we walked to my locker.

"Thanks for offering, but I have music lessons after school today," I told him, a little sad that I wouldn't be able to see him.

"For how long?"

"It's a half-hour," I replied, opening the door and welcoming the fresh air.

"I'll wait," he told me simply, as if he hung around the school for an extra thirty minutes for girls every day.

"Are you sure?" I asked him a little hesitantly. "Because I completely understand if you don't want to wait-" as we approached the annex, Jared silenced me by crushing his lips to mine.

"I'll wait," he told me again, and I kissed him once more before running off to class.

A/N: Sorry, I know it was super short and only fluff, but I'm really busy lately! I promise more to come REALLY soon! Sorry it took so long to post this!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: It still isn't mine! Geez!

A/N: I hope this was soon enough for you all! Enjoy and review!

Chapter 11

Kim

As I walked from the band room, I was swooped off of my feet by a pair of strong, warm arms and I let out a laugh as they spun me around in the air. A few moments later I was placed gently back on my feet and Jared was smiling down on me as took my backpack from me, pulled me close, and intertwined our fingers. My smile was so big that I thought my face might split in half as Jared kissed my cheek, my forehead, my nose, before finally finding my lips.

"I love you, Kim," he whispered to me so lightly that I thought it may have been the wind. My head snapped up and my brow furrowed in confusion.

"E-excuse me?" I breathed out. I knew that I was in love with Jared. That had never really been a question, I had just never really thought that someone like Jared could ever love me. I knew it wasn't a joke; Jared was too good for that, so he was either in dire need of mental help, or he was completely sincere. Personally, I was really hoping for the latter.

"I am completely in love with you, Kimberly Connweller." Between the sincerity in his voice, and the completely sane look of love and amazement in his eyes, there was nothing I could do but tell him the truth.

"I love you too, Jared," I confessed with a shy smile. So what if we had technically only been on one date, there was not a doubt in my mind that Jared Thail was the one for me. Any further thought was stopped by a perfect, blissful, mind-numbing kiss. Everything was perfect.

It turns out that when you don't spend your days almost completely alone, they go by a lot faster, and with every day that passed, I only fell more in love with Jared. I spent the majority of my evenings at Emily's house, surrounded by giants, always wrapped up in Jared's arms. It had grown into a routine which is why, as we all sat at Sam and Emily's kitchen table, the discomfort of a silence filled with unspoken words was easily distinguished. The only noise came from the clanking of dishes and silverware, and Jared's unusually rigid posture was mirrored by Paul and Sam both. I looked up from my homemade cheese pizza to glance at Jared's face only to find that those wonderful lips were still pressed in a straight line and those perfect, loving eyes were still narrowed.

Jared

I was still fuming at dinnertime, but for Kim's sake I pressed my lips tight together to hold back my outburst; Kim hated fighting. It was Sam and Paul, ganging up on me again, urging me to tell Kim the truth. It was getting to dangerous around here for Kim not to be in the know, they had said. It was easy to see where they came from, but selfishly, I wanted to let Kim's normal life last for as long as it possibly could. I knew that she wouldn't be happy with me for keeping her in the dark for the whole month that we had been dating. With that thought, I knew what I had to do; tell Kim the truth. Suddenly I stood up, pushing away from the table, all eyes on me.

"Kim, will you come with me to get some air?" I asked lamely, holding my hand out for her. Without asking any questions, she nodded, stood up, and took my offered hand. I walked her outside, and toward a path in the woods just far enough away so that the others wouldn't be able to follow, before I found a fallen tree and took a seat, pulling Kim onto my lap and wrapping my arms around her. We sat there like that for a few moments before I spoke.

"Kim, do you know the tribe legends?" I asked, taking a deep breath to calm myself. Kim let out a loose laugh.

"Of course I do, we all do," she replied with a smile that I gratefully replied.

"Okay, yeah. So…what if I told you that some of them were real?"

Kim

Jared took me away from Emily's house in the middle of dinner, led me into the woods, and was asking questions that were beginning to sound a little crazy. If I wasn't one-hundred percent positive that Jared would never hurt me, I'd say that this felt like the beginning of a horror movie. Was he trying to tell me that he believed in the legends? I can't say that I did, but the reservation was full of people who thought otherwise. 'What if I told you that some of them were real?' How is a person supposed to respond to that question?

"Well," I said, struggling for words. "There are a lot of tribe legends. Which are you talking about?"

"All of them," He said rather quickly. "Specifically the ones about imprinting."

"Well if you believe them it's not really my place to judge." I told him with finality. Something in the back of my mind told me that I wasn't going to like where this conversation led if I let it continue.

"Yes it is, Kim. It _is_ your place, because this is about you. And me. This is about _us_. I imprinted on you." Jared looked at me with eyes begging me to believe, but I just couldn't seem to wrap my brain around this. I thought back to the legends, but couldn't recall a human ever imprinting-it was a wolves-only thing.

"Don't be silly, Jared," I said softly, my tone disapproving. "This isn't funny. In the legends only a wolf can imprint…" I trailed off as it hit me. Jared was a wolf. I knew I was completely insane for believing it, but at the same time I felt utterly stupid for not coming to the conclusion sooner. Over the past month I had noticed more about Jared than just his body heat that fit the bill. No, there was the sudden growth spurt, the strength, the speed, and the list could go on. And if Jared was a wolf, that meant that the other boys were too. That they had been all lying to me. And suddenly it hit me; Emily's scar was not from a bear.

I sat there for what felt like forever, thinking of Emily's scars, and the pain that must have caused them. That they were a constant reminder of what she lived with, and that the same thing could easily happen to me at any given moment. It scared me that I didn't care, that I still knew that I wanted to be with Jared. I also knew that I couldn't stay. There was no doubt in my mind that I would break my resolve and go back to Jared sooner or later, and I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking otherwise, but at that moment I needed to be home, wrapped in a blanket, drinking tea, finding heat from anything that wasn't Jared. I needed to think.

Slowly but surely I got off of Jared's lap, put a few steps between us, and looked him dead in the eyes.

"I am going to walk myself home," I told him in a quiet but no-nonsense voice that clearly told him not to argue. "And I don't want you to come after me, understood?" I waited for him to acknowledge my order, which he did with a nod, before I turned and started for home, dazed. I stepped to cross the road, and the last thing I heard was the honking of a horn before I was overcome with pain. Then there was only unconsciousness.

A/N: Cliff hanger! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I, for one, thought it was a nice relief from all of those chapters of constant fluff. Don't get me wrong, I love fluff, but some action is nice too. They should combine those words to create…flaction? Fluffy action? I like it! I'm going to add it to the dictionary on my computer! I totally just created a word. So, review and tell me what you think of the story, give me your opinion on my new word, tell me what _your_ worst injury was. I usually just get stuck with a bunch of little things all at the same time. Except for yesterday, when my best friend accidently kicked me in the face. We're both very clumsy! Don't forget to review, more soon!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: It _still_ doesn't belong to me.

A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you all like reading it! Sorry this took so long! It was my birthday the other day, so this is my gift to you! Enjoy and review!

Chapter 12

Kim

When I opened my eyes I was laying in my bed, Jared standing over me. I smiled up at him, reaching out automatically to pull him down next to me, but furrowed my brow in confusion when he shied away from me, leaning so that he was just out of my reach-and then I saw his expression. Jared's was a face filled with what could only be described as hatred and disgust. His jaw was clenched tightly together, nostrils flaring slightly whenever he took a labored breath. Those wonderfully gentle hands were clenched into fists, and those usually warm eyes were narrowed into slits.

"W-what's wrong? Jared?" Confused, I looked around the room, trying to identify the cause of Jared's sudden change in emotions-not finding anyone else around, I could only assume that I was the target.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked in a small voice, not wanting to make anything worse. "I'm sorry! For whatever I did, I am truly and sincerely sorry!"

"Whatever you did? _Whatever_ you _did_? I trusted you, Kim! I trusted you with my secrete and you ran away! I don't have to deal with this, I don't have to deal with _you_," Jared said harshly, shaking his head and turning away. Tears were pouring out of my eyes faster than I could blink them away as I whispered his name, and as Jared's distance from me increased, the volume of my voice did as well. I continued screaming his name hysterically even as I saw him turn from man to wolf and run off into the woods, not looking back even once.

Jared

I sat in Kim's hospital room after calling her father and leaving a message telling him what had happened. As I sat there, I couldn't help but feel that this was entirely my fault. Sure, Kim had told me not to follow her, and at the time I thought that doing what she asked was the right thing, but I should have followed her; I should have protected her. If I had, Kim wouldn't be lying in this hospital bed, hurt, in pain…

My head snapped up when I heard it-Kim said my name. It was quiet at first, and my heart skipped a beat, thinking that she had finally come out of the drug-induced haze caused by the doctor's pain killers. As the seconds ticked by, Kim's eyes remained closed, she spoke my name louder with every turn, and tears leaked from her eyes.

"Jared!" She yelled, her voice full of what sounded like equal parts panic and pain.

"I'm right here, Kim" I said, trying to wake her. "I'm right here!" It was questionable as to whether my words gave Kim any real comfort, but I repeated them time and time again until the sobs subsided, and her breath came more evenly. The moment Kim opened her eyes was the moment I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

Kim

I realized that it had all been just a dream the moment that I opened my eyes for _real_. The first thing I saw was Jared's wonderful, concerned, loving face hovering just above mine in a way that made me want to kiss it. Relief crashed over me in waves when I saw that loving look still perfectly intact, but I had to clear the air. I would make sure that the horrors in my dream would never come to pass.

"I'm so sorry Jared. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't leave me, please don't go, I love you still, so much, if you were a wolf full-time I would still love you, no matter what. I love you, I'm sorry, please don't go…" I trailed off as my breathing became rapid and shallow, and I heard something rapidly beeping in the background.

Jared shushed me and smiled a perfect smile before leaning over to place a gentle kiss to my forehead, calming me immediately. "I'm not going anywhere, Kimmy. It's gonna take a lot more than this to get rid of me," he told me reassuringly, taking my hand in his. I smiled and pressed the back of his hand to my lips, only to notice that there was something in my arm. I moved my free hand to tear the needle free of me skin, but Jared reached over and kept my other hand still.

"You need to leave those in, okay Kim?" Jared asked gently. I nodded simply, and for the first time, took in my surroundings. I was in a small room, surrounded by white. White walls, white ceiling, white bed, sheets, floor, machines; and then I noticed the pain. It was dull at first, but once I noticed it, it just amplified. Everything hurt, from my head to my foot. I bit my lip and looked at Jared.

"Where am I, Jare? Why do I hurt?" I felt like the answer was in my head, unreachable through the throbbing.

"You're in the hospital, Kimberly. You had an accident," cam a foreign voice from the doorway. I looked up to see what appeared to be a doctor, flipping through some papers that were attached to a clip board. "You were hit by a car earlier this evening, a car that was, thankfully, rolling to a stop. You were extremely lucky, if that car had been going any faster-"

"But it wasn't." Jared cut in firmly, brushing a strand of hair lovingly away from my face.

"Of course," the doctor said, before introducing himself. "When you arrived we did x-rays, and nothing appears to be broken, and thankfully you do not have a concussion," he said, and I heard Jared sigh in relief. "but you have three bruised ribs and a severely twisted ankle. Your head will be sore tomorrow, and you'll notice some bruising down your right side, but both of those things are normal, nothing to worry about."

I laid in the uncomfortable little and took it all in. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. Had anyone told my father? What would he think?

"I called your dad," Jared informed me, and I smiled gratefully. The doctor cleared his throat, and we both turned our attention toward him once again.

"We'll keep you over night just for observation, and you should be free to go first thing in the morning. But for now," the doctor turned and shot Jared a look, "visiting hours are over." Jared looked at me, at the doctor, then back at me, and then it hit me. Jared was supposed to leave. He was going to leave me after all; I was going to be all alone all because of some stupid hospital rule. I gripped Jared's arm so tightly with both hands that my knuckles turned white, and I began to shake my head despite the headache.

"No, don't leave," I said pitifully, my breaths coming shallow and quickly once again. "Don't leave please, don't leave me alone, please don't make him leave," I begged, my eyes filling with tears as I looked toward the doctor, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else. He pressed his lips tightly together, then sighed.

"Fine, I'll be back in the morning," he told us. "take some deep breaths and keep that heart rate down." I nodded in thanks.

A/N: So, I'm going on vacation tomorrow for about a week, and I don't know if I'll be able to update, but I sure will try! PLEASE review! I'm begging! You know you want to, and even if you don't want to, do it out of pity! Next chapter will be Kim on painkillers… oh, the things that could happen!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Just like always, it isn't mine.

A/N: I'm so, so, _so_ sorry this chapter has taken so long! I was on vacation all week, so I didn't have access to a computer! Read and enjoy the Adventures of Kim on painkillers!

This is a short one, but I'll post again soon!

Chapter 13

Jared

Kim was released early in the morning with careful instructions that told me exactly how to take care of her. She had been given pain meds to take for the 'first forty-eight hours only', and she slept peacefully as I carried her to my truck, buckled her in, and put the crutches I had bought from the hospital in the back.

When I reached Kim's house, I was surprised to find Leah and Paul waiting on the front porch, sitting as far apart as possible and looking like all they wanted was for the other to leave. Carrying the still sound asleep Kim, I walked up and unlocked the front door with her keys and settled her on the couch so that her ankle was 'above heart level' before turning to face Leah and Paul.

"How is she?" Paul inquired softly, his gaze flicking over Kim before returning to me. "My mom is seriously worried."

"She's got some bruised ribs, a severely twisted ankle, and she banged her head up a little," on that last word my voice cracked, and I sunk into the nearest chair, covering my face with my hands. All of this was my fault. I could have told her at her own house, or followed her home, or even not told her at all, I could have done _anything_ to prevent this.

"Look, Jared, it wasn't your fault," Leah informed me roughly. "There's no way you could have known what was gonna happen, so why don't you stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on Kim?" I looked, up, slightly surprised by the source of the words; had Leah just attempted to give me a pep-talk? I had to chuckle to myself a little at the thought.

"Jared?" My head snapped up. The word was slightly slurred, but I knew exactly where it came from.

"Kim! How are you feeling?" I asked frantically, going over to the couch and sitting myself on the floor next to it.

"I feel light, and floaty…" she trailed off with a giggle. I kissed her forehead and she giggled again, causing me to crack a little smile, before her gaze fell on the others in the room.

"Look, Jare, look! It's Strong Leah and Scary Paul!" Her voice turned serious. "Scary Paul, I don't think I can make it to your sister's lesson this week. I don't want your mom to be upset…"

"No one's going to be upset with you, Kim," I heard Paul reassure her. She smiled and spoke to Leah.

"Strong Leah, why aren't we friends?"

"I don't know, Kimmy," was Leah's reply.

"Let's be friends!" Kim said excitedly. "Let's be _best_ friends!"

"Sure, Kim," Leah said with a smile. I did a double take. Leah was smiling? I looked to Kim and saw that she was motioning for me to come closer. I leaned in until our foreheads were almost touching, and she said "Knock knock!"

"Who's there?"

Instead of answering, she pressed her lips to mine, before breaking the kiss and laughing almost hysterically. This was going to be the longest two days of my life. But then again, at least I got to spend them with Kim.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey, guys! I know it took a while, but chapter fourteen is FINALLY up! I'm surprisingly busy this summer, what with working all the time, and then going shopping and spending all of that money, and then needing to work even more to earn it all back… it's a vicious cycle, and I think that the real lesson to be learned here is that the cost of clothes is WAY too high… and also that I shouldn't be allowed to have sugar because I get super duper hyper (like I am right now). Read and enjoy, everyone!

Chapter 14

Jared

It was almost noon when Paul left, letting me know that his family would be by later to check on Kim, and as time passed I began to grow somewhat fond of Leah, if only for the way she treated Kim.

"I don't like these pants," Kim announced, pointing at the same jeans she had been wearing last night-I immediately felt bad for not thinking to get her something more comfortable. "They're bad luck, and they're not comfy." At the last sentence I almost had to laugh; it was such an un-Kim-like thing to say. I smiled lovingly at her and pressed a kiss to her head before standing up to go to her room and find her pajamas. I swung open the door, glanced around the room, and sighed. If it were any other teenager's room I could have just found something casually tossed on a dresser, or strewn across the floor, but all of Kim's things were neatly filed away in their respective areas. I looked around and realized that for all of the times I had been in the room, I had never really _seen_ it; all I had seen was Kim.

I looked around for a moment and took in my surroundings- light blue walls that were bare with the exception of a few pictures hanging in frames. The bed was perfectly made up with a sunny-yellow comforter and rainbow pillows, and there were instruments safely enclosed in their cases all around the room. There was a tall bookshelf full of books organized by author, a laptop perched atop a desk alongside a notebook that was flipped open. Looking closer, I saw that Kim had written our names in fancy letters all over the page, and surrounded them with hearts. It was definitely one of the cutest things I had ever seen, but I looked away quickly, knowing that Kim wouldn't want me to have seen it.

Turning to the closet, I slid one door out of the way and was met with hangers full of fancy dresses that look uncomfortable to the max, and looked down to find a row of equally fancy and uncomfortably-not to mention insanely tall-shoes. Closing that door and sliding open the other, I found myself staring at shelves of neatly folded clothes, and didn't know where to begin. There were all different kinds of pants-jeans and sweat pants, and stretchy-looking pants, and shorts-I looked up when I heard Leah's voice.

"Need some help?" She asked, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice. I sighed a resigned sigh and stepped away, allowing her access. Quickly, she grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, shut the closet, and walked back down the stairs to Kim. Following closely behind, realized suddenly that I had never really thought of Leah as a girl, that she was always just Leah; Sam's sullen ex, Seth's scary sister, Harry and Sue's daughter, part of the pack. I wondered if it ever bothered her. We reached the living room, and I took my place next to Kim. Leah stood there next to me, one hand on her hip, one eyebrow raised, waiting for something.

"Is there something I can do for you, Leah?" I asked, a little amused.

"As a matter of fact, there is, Thail. Kim's covered in bruises and full of pain killers, so I don't think she'll be changing by herself, and something tells me she wouldn't what you watching the show, so…" Leah trailed off and twirled her index finger in the air, gesturing for me to turn around. I immediately did as I was told, knowing that she was right, and was momentarily glad that she was there.

For the remainder of those forty-eight hours, Kim drifted in and out of sleep, and I left her father a few more messages. Paul brought us the work from our classes and by the end of the week, most of my belongings were at Kim's house.

Kim

For a while I stayed on the couch, lying on my left side only, icing my ribs and ankle at the proper times of the day, taking large quantities of ibuprofen, watching television, and trying to reassure Jared that I would be good as new in a few weeks. When I got tired of TV, I moved to my bedroom, where Jared now spent every night that he was not on patrol. It took some time to break him down, but with the help of Leah, I convinced Jared that because there was absolutely nothing wrong with his health, if he didn't go back to school he wasn't going to make it to senior year.

"Bye, Kimmy," Jared told me, kissing me tenderly before grabbing his backpack and leaving for school. I sighed and silently wished that I was going with him-I hated doing nothing. As Jared left the house, Leah let herself in and came into my room carrying two styrofoam cups. She handed one to me, and took a sip from the other. I inhaled deeply and smiled at the scent- hot chocolate.

"Mmmm, my favorite," I said with a smile. "Thank you!" Leah chuckled and nodded in response before leaning back and making herself comfortable on a rainbow pillow, and we sat in a companionable silence as we drank from our cups. That was one of the best things about Leah; she didn't always feel the need to fill the silences. We sat like that until my cell phone rang, and I grabbed it off the nightstand and glanced at the caller ID before answering.

"Hi, Dad!" I answered the phone, excited to finally get to talk to him.

"Hi, Kim," he said. "I was just going to leave a message, I thought you would be in class."

"I can return on Monday," I informed him. "I got hurt, remember, Jared told you-"

"Yes, yes, I remember. I've been busy, but I'll be home tonight around five-thirty. I won't have any time to eat beforehand, so you will have to cook tonight. You can bring that boy, even…Jason? Jackson? Oh, well, I'll see you soon." _Click_. The line went dead without so much as a goodbye.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: In this chapter we prepare for the arrival of Kim's father! I don't know about you guys, but I'm really liking this whole friendship thing with Kim and Leah... Read, enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I cannot claim Twilight as my own. Also, I forgot to do this last chapter, but I'm pretty sure that everybody gets it by now.

Chapter 15

Kim

My dad was coming home. My dad was coming home _tonight_. I made a mental list of things that needed to be done; do the laundry, change the sheets in his bedroom, clean the house, buy food, take a shower, pick out an outfit, warn Jared, make dinner, make desert… the list went on and on. Usually he gave me a little more notice. Not wanting to lose a single second, I jumped out of bed only to be hit by a wave of pain. It shot up from my ankle and radiated from my traitorous ribs and I, having learned my lesson, eased myself slowly back onto the bed and took a deep breath as the doctor had instructed, ignoring the pang I got in result. Desperately, I looked over at Leah.

"Leah, please will you drive me to the grocery store?" I begged.

"Kim, you're supposed to be resting up for Monday, you promised me and Jared that you would rest today, tomorrow, and Sunday without complaint if you decided to go to school on Monday." I thought about that for a second.

"That was before I knew about my dad. If he comes, and he doesn't like what he sees, he could move me into the city! Please, Leah. I'll do anything." I knew I sounded pathetic at this point, but I just couldn't bring myself to care.

"_Anything?_" Leah asked me, raising one eyebrow. I nodded.

Twenty minutes later it occurred to me that agreeing to 'anything' was probably not the best idea.

"This is just…uncalled for!" I said indignantly, blushing scarlet from my place inside the surprisingly roomy grocery cart. Leah tipped back her head and let lose the first real laugh I had ever heard from her. It was a nice laugh, the kind that makes other people want to smile, and for a moment I caught a glimpse of the carefree nineteen-year-old that Leah could have been, had life been kinder. She handed me a bag of chocolate chips, and I set them on my lap as Leah rolled us to the next isle.

"What's next on the list?" She asked, and I rattled off a few items from the list I had hastily scrawled on my hand. We shopped in silence until Leah broke it with a question.

"So what's up with your dad? Why all of this fuss?" I looked down at my hands and sighed a little. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's really none of my business anyway." Leah's voice was defensive, and I could tell she was regretting ever asking the question, but though it had a complicated answer there really was no reason I shouldn't answer the only girl friend I had ever had…at least I was pretty sure we were friends.

"My father is a great lawyer, smart and charismatic when he wants to be, but the whole 'family' concept never really suited him. He sticks to what he's good at, and he is definitely good at his job." I summed it all up in those two sentences, leaving out the more dramatic parts. My father left the reservation after high school, returning only to marry my mother. She was the most beautiful woman on the reservation, and he was about to become one of the richest. They never wanted children, and rarely took time away from themselves to pay any attention to me whatsoever, and it wasn't really a big shock when my mother left.

"Oh," was all Leah said, throwing a few things in the cart that weren't on the list.

"Combos, pizza rolls, and Reese's?" I asked, not quite sure why we were suddenly stocking up on junk food. Leah nodded.

"You know what all of these foods have in common?" She asked. I shook my head, waiting for her to tell me. "These are all foods that are filled with other foods. Eating food stuffed with other foods always makes me feel better," Leah shared, cracking a grin and rolling us to the checkout counter.

A/N: And here we have experienced Kim's adventures at the grocery store! And I must agree with Leah; for some reason, foods that are filled with other foods always make me feel better… So I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, I'll be sure to update soon! Please, tell me what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey, guys! I'm really sorry it's been so long since I last updated, but I went on vacation with my family, and I had no chance to update! Thanks for the great reviews; I love each and every one of them! Read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: It _still_ doesn't belong to me.

Chapter 16

Kim

When Jared came home later that day, I was sitting at the counter with Leah, surrounded by baking ingredients. He plunked his backpack on the couch before walking into the kitchen, raising an eyebrow, and taking in my guilty expression.

"I thought we had an agreement, Kimmy," Jared said, sounding a little hurt.

"We did, it's just…well-"

"Kim's dad is coming home tonight." Leah cut in curtly, causing surprise to flicker momentarily across Jared's face.

"Really?"

"_No_," Leah said sarcastically. "We spent this morning joy riding around the grocery store, cleaning every nook and cranny of this house, and cooking like mad women just to pull one over on you. You caught us; we just can't hide it anymore." I chuckled a little at Leah's comment, then sighed.

"My father invited you to dinner…you don't have to come if you don't want to." I informed Jared, not wanting him to feel pressured into meeting my father. I saw his expression soften as he walked over and wrapped me in a hug, kissing my hair.

"Of course I'll come to dinner, Kim," Jared said in that voice that I loved so much. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." And with those words, some of my anxieties melted away.

Three hours later, I was sitting at the counter telling Jared exactly how to set the table. I couldn't help but think that it would be easier if I was the one doing it, but I had promised to be on my feet as little as possible. After all, it was the least I could do, what with Jared agreeing to meet my father. Jared had even cleaned up for the occasion, wearing new-looking jeans and a long sleeved white button-up shirt that he had rolled up to his elbows. After I was finally able to shower, I had curled my hair and taken the time to carefully rim my eyes with eyeliner and mascara. I had dressed in a black lace dress ending just above my knee, a satin ribbon tied around my waist. I fidgeted as Jared set a dish of lasagna in the middle of the table, next to the salad and fresh-baked bread. I tapped my left foot anxiously on the floor ceasing only when Jared turned and gave me an amused look.

"You're too stressed out," Jared told me, walking up the stairs and going into my room, leaving me to wonder what he was up to. I watched in curiosity as he came back down the stairs and plugged my old silver ipod into the television sound system, selecting the song that we listened to the first time Jared drove me home from school. A smile automatically spread across my face as the first notes graced my ears. Jared walked over to me, bent down, and scooped me up in his arms. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and let everything in the world melt away until it was just me and Jared and the music.

The song ended, and another began, and as the minutes passed, they all blended together, until I heard the door bang open and someone clearing their voice. My head snapped up automatically at the sound and I felt my face heat up the moment my eyes landed on my father.

A/N: I know I'm kind of stretching out this whole thing with Kim's dad, but I'm a little pressed for time lately, so the chapters are shorter. Next chapter will be dinner, and you'll all find out what Mr. Connweller has to say.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed; it still isn't mine, blah, blah, blah…

A/N: Thanks for hanging in there, everyone! Now we get to meet Kim's father; this should be interesting! Read, enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 16

Jared

When Kim's father cleared his throat, I had to admit that I was surprised. Even more so; I was surprised that I had been surprised in the first place. It isn't every day that someone can sneak up on a guy with super wolf senses. I hurriedly set Kim on the couch, retrieved her crutches for her, and turned off the sound system, effectively ending our little dance party.

"Hi, Mr. Connweller, I'm Jared Thail…it's nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand and, after taking a couple of beats to look me up and down, he shook my hand briefly, not appearing to have noticed that my hand was several degrees warmer than his. I studied Kim's father, not finding many similarities between the two; where Kim's brown eyes were warm and inviting, her father's were calculating and suspicious. Where Kim had an air of love and trust, her father was buttoned-up and seemingly unwelcoming.

"Hello." I heard Kim say from the couch, grabbing the crutches and pulling herself up into a standing position. I rushed over to help, taking one of her hands and steadying her, squeezing it reassuringly before I let it go.

"Hello, Kimberly." Her father replied curtly. It looked as if he might say more when the door opened once again to reveal a woman who was quite possibly the palest human to ever set foot on the rez.

She had sleek blond hair that was cut just above her shoulders, pale blue eyes that resembled the sky right before a big storm, and lips that formed a thin line. She wore a low-cut shirt that was tucked into the tightest skirt I had ever seen, and on her feet were shoes so high that were so high they looked more like death traps. I supposed that to some this woman would be considered pretty…to me she looked like a walking stick. She had nothing on Kim's long, soft hair, big brown loving eyes, full lips, and curves that drove me crazy.

I watched as Kim's eyes flit from the woman, to her father, then back to the woman as her father made introductions. "Kim, this is my friend Janice Price, she will be joining us tonight. Jan, this is my daughter Kimberly."

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Price," Kim said, offering shy a smile. "Dinner is ready…I'll set another place at the table." I followed Kim into the kitchen, and reached over top of her head to grab the plate that was out of her reach, bending down to kiss her cheek as I gathered together silverware and a glass like I owned the place. She smiled up at me and whispered her thanks as I set the cutlery atop the table. I pulled out Kim's chair and waited for her to be seated before taking her crutches, setting them against the nearest wall, and taking my own seat.

"Is there sugar in this?" Janice Price asked, pointing to the Lasagna that Kim had so carefully made.

"Yes." was Kim's soft reply.

"Oh. I'll just have this salad then." Not rolling my eyes at that remark took nearly every ounce of my self control. It looked as if good ole Janice had eaten one too many salads in her day. Kim served her father before moving on to me and serving me a fourth of the entire pan with a knowing smile. I waited for her to serve herself, then began eating, taking extra care to put my basic table manners to use. As Emily so often pointed out; I eat like a wolf.

"So, Jared," Kim's father addressed me. "Do you have a job?" I considered that question, wondering how to answer. It probably wouldn't go over very well if I told the truth and admitted that my job was to turn into a giant wolf and protect the tribe, alongside my werewolf brothers.

"I work for Sam Uley. We consult with the council and take care of security on the reservation."

"How nice. Kimberly, doesn't lasagna usually contain meat?" Mr. Connweller inquired in such a way that made me wish I could put him on mute before he got the chance to say something that would hurt my Kim.

"I suppose some of it does…I'm sorry, I should have thought to make yours with meat-"

"Kim, how many times do I have to ask you not to mumble? How do you expect to get anywhere in life if other people do not know what you are saying?" Kim ducked her head and began blinking rapidly, blinking away the tears that I knew would be in her eyes. Just the thought of those tears made my hands begin to shake.

"Kim's a vegetarian," I said, my voice a little hostile. "That's why there's no meat in the lasagna; she's got a big heart. And I didn't hear any mumbling at all, to be honest; I heard every word perfectly. Clear as day." A silence fell over the table, and when Kim took my hand under the table, I felt the shaking slowly subside.

"So how did you hurt your leg, Kim?" Janice Price asked politely.

"I was hit by a car."

"Well," She said, obviously not expecting that answer. "That is unfortunate." I was quickly losing patience with these people. Earlier that day I had thought that anyone genetically linked to Kim couldn't possibly be that bad, but now I was beginning to see that maybe that wasn't the case; Kim deserved more than this.

Kim

After a considerable silence, there was a loud knock on the door before it burst open to reveal a shirtless Quil carrying Clair asleep in his arms. He strode into the dining room, stopping shortly to admire the food on the table before speaking.

"Hey, Kimmy! So, Emily is out of town, and Claire is with me for the weekend, do you think you can watch her? Please, please, _please?_ I'll love you forever! I wouldn't ask but there's kind of a-" Quil broke off and glanced at my father and Janice Price before continuing his sentence "_security _emergency." Jared's eyebrow rose.

"Do you need my help?"

"Nope, stay here with Kim-we've got it covered." Quil's pleading gaze returned to me, and I smiled and nodded, holding out my arms. Quil kissed Claire's forehead and placed her carefully in my arms, looking a little distraught at having to let her go. I smiled comfortingly.

"Don't worry, man." Jared reassured. "We'll keep her safe." Quil nodded his thanks, grabbed four cookies from a jar on the counter, and shoved them all in his mouth before surveying the other two people seated at the table.

"Lady, you should think about eating more than that salad," Quil declared, throwing in his two cents as he hustled for the door. "I don't know if you're new around here, or what, but we can get some pretty nasty weather…it'd be a shame if you blew away in the harsh winds." I heard him chuckle to himself as he closed the door and headed for the woods.

I turned to look at my father, who was looking at my questioningly. Jared stood up and took the toddler from my arms, placing her carefully on the couch and draping a blanket over her sleeping form.

"Do you often have insulting, half-naked men barging into your house?" asked Janice Price a little rudely.

"No," I replied honestly. "I truly am sorry about that, Miss Price."

"Well" my father cut in. "I really think we should get going."

"Aren't you going to stay the night?" I asked, a little disappointed.

"Kim, you know I have important business to attend to, if I didn't, I would stay. It is not fair of you to make me feel guilty about this."

"I apologize." I told him formally.

"Good," he said, getting up from his seat. "Now I won't be back for a while now, and you know that we have two extra bedrooms, so if you want to have a couple of friends stay with you, that is perfectly okay. Goodbye." He said, holding out his hand for me to shake. I shook it, feeling a little like I wanted to cry, before watching him leave once again.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Hi, everyone! I'm so sorry about the wait, but I was stuck at band camp all week with no chance to update! So here is chapter eighteen; posted on my very first day home!

Disclaimer: Eighteen chapters in, and the characters still are not mine.

Chapter 18

Kim

I blinked back tears as I watched my father pull out of the driveway, taking a deep breath before turning around and walking right past Jared into the dining room and attempting to gather up dishes, but failing miserably. And in my eyes, that was the last straw. One at a time, I took my crutches and threw them into the living room, each one whizzing past Jared to land on the soft carpet. I stood on both of my feet, ignoring the pain that was shooting from my ankle with each step that I took. I heard Jared object cautiously, obviously not knowing what I would do next, but I ignored him as I gathered all of the food I had taken so much time preparing and dumped it into the trash, cookies and all, before disposing of the dishes loudly in the sink.

Despite my best efforts, tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, and I was no longer able to ignore the pain in my swollen ankle. Slowly I found myself sliding toward the floor, waiting to reach the cold hard tile that never came; instead, Jared's warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me close to him and kissing my temple soothingly. I knew that I was overreacting, that I should stand back up, wipe away the tears, and move on with my life…but all of those things can be much easier said than done.

"You don't have to do this." I told Jared.

"Do what?"

"This. You don't have to sit here with me, I-I would understand if you would rather be somewhere else. I won't be angry if you leave." It just didn't make sense to me why Jared would want to be around me right now-or at all really. Not even my own father wanted to be with me.

With those words, Jared turned me so that I was facing him, our noses nearly touching. "I want you to listen, Kim Connweller; I want you to understand," Jared said, and I braced myself for the words that were coming next. "I love you. I am _completely _in love with you, and that's never going to change. There is nowhere else I'd rather be than right here, as long as I'm with you I'm happy. People say that your father is a pretty intelligent guy, but that has to be a lie, because nobody with half a brain would ever chose to be away from you. You're perfect."

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, speechless. I looked into Jared's eyes and it was clear as day that he meant every word of what he said. Instead of trying to articulate a response, I took his face in my hands, and kissed him. It was a kiss that said everything that couldn't be put into words, that sent warmth spreading through my entire body, and that left me wanting much, much more. I pulled back to catch my breath just in time to hear a little voice say "Kimmy?"

My head snapped up and I saw little Claire standing a few feet away. "Hello, Claire." I said with a smile, gesturing for her to come over. The still-sleepy little girl wandered over and crawled into my lap, snuggling into my arms.

"Where is Qwil?" She asked, looking up at me with her big brown eyes.

"He had to go visit Sam, but he'll be back soon, I promise."

"Why is we on the floor?"

"You know what, Claire? That's a really good question," I told her, smiling at the proud little expression on her face before looking questioningly up at Jared. "Why _are_ we on the floor, Jare?" I laughed as he jokingly rolled his eyes before standing, reaching down, and scooping me and Claire up in his arms.

"Where to?" He asked, and I glanced at Claire, pretending to think it over.

"I'm thinking the living room, does that sound good?" I asked Claire, who nodded up at me gravely. "To the living room then, sir." I said, addressing Jared.

Following my orders, Jared left for the other room, setting us both down gently on the couch before plopping down next to me. I took the remote and turned on the television, flipping through channels until I found something Claire-approved. She happily watched as Tigger bounced around the screen, and we were both asleep before the credits rolled.

The next morning I awoke in my bed, tucked in close to Jared, with the sun streaming through my window. I didn't dare move an inch, enjoying the feel of Jared close to me, and the oh-so-rare sun on my face. I stayed still as a statue until Jared stirred next to me.

"Guess what!" I prompted excitedly before Jared even got the chance to open his eyes.

"What?"

"The sun is shining! It's supposed to be the first warm day since spring, do you think we can go to the beach? Please?" Jared sighed.

"You're supposed to be resting, Kimmy. You go back to school Monday, and you didn't rest at all yesterday-"

"Please, Jare? _Please?_ I can rest on the beach, I swear I will." I pleaded with my eyes, knowing that he wouldn't be able to resist.

"_Fine_," He said begrudgingly. I kissed him happily and got out of bed.

Two hours later I found myself in my simple white one-piece bathingsuit, lounging on a beach towel surrounded by wolves, completely at ease.

"So what happened last night?" Jared asked from his place next to me.

"There was a vamp near the border, we chased her off but didn't quite get her…" Quil trailed of as Jared inhaled sharply and shifted his nervous gaze to meet mine. Vamps as in…Vampires? I should have known.

"You didn't tell her?" I heard Leah ask disapprovingly from beside me. Jared ignored her, his gaze fixed on my face.

"Vampires?" I questioned, and Jared nodded. I shrugged. "I should have known. You shouldn't ignore Leah. It's rude."

A/N: So, I hoped you all liked this chapter, and I hope you will take the time to review! I'm sorry for the wait!


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hey guys! I got my first week of school (blech) out of the way, and I'm halfway through the second. Sorry this update has taken so long, but thank you all for waiting for it! I know it's short, and I promise the next one will be longer, but I'm a little swamped with homework at the moment. I'm beginning to regret taking Algebra 2, college-level chemistry, and Spanish 1 all in the same semester...

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed-I still can't claim it.

Chapter 19

Jared

"Anyone up for cliff diving?" Paul asked eagerly, his gaze darting from one wolf to the next.

"Nah, I'm good here," Quil said, continuing the construction of Fort Claire in the sand. The other boys stood up, and I grabbed Jared's hand.

"Cliff diving?" I asked, a little worried. "That sounds dangerous…"

"We'll be fine, Kimmy, I promise," Jared assured me, kissing my cheek and following the others up the beach. I sighed and ran my fingers through the warm sand.

"You know what I think?" Leah piped up. I looked at her questioningly. "I think it's ice cream time." She said with a grin before taking my order, getting up, and walking just up the road toward the ice cream shop. I closed my eyes and soaked up the sun, enjoying the warmth on my body. As my mind drifted off, I couldn't help but think about Jared; that warm feeling that spreads through me, chasing away the chills. The perfect kisses he gives, the look in his eyes that I knew was only for me.

Suddenly, a warm drop of water landed on my arm, and all I could do was hope that it hadn't started raining. I opened my eyes to find Jared standing me over, looking me up and down with a grin on his face and a gleam in his eyes.

"You're beautiful." He stated simply, causing my face to heat up. He sat down next to me, and I lifted my head so it was resting against his warm leg, and we sat there together in a wonderful silence.

"Hey, Thail!" We both looked up at the boy who was jogging up the beach, his sights set on us. He stopped too short, kicking sand in my face and rolling his eyes as Jared fretted over me.

"Jared Thail is whipped! Man, I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. Where'd you find this one?" He asked rudely, his eyes roaming over me in a way that made me want to throw on long pants and a turtle-neck sweater. Jared, who seemed to notice, clenched his jaw so tightly that I could see the muscles twitching as he carefully helped me stand. He handed me the white t-shirt that he had been wearing earlier that day, and I slipped it on, feeling better when the fabric that smelled of Jared nearly swallowed me whole.

The two stood, glaring at each other until the boy backed off. "Jeez, man, it was just a question. Try not to be so touchy. I'm Dan," He said, turning to me, and sticking out his right hand.

"Kim," I replied, and couldn't help but notice that it felt more like he was trying to crush my hand than shake it. He let it go, and Jared promptly took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together and pulling me just a little bit closer. We all stood there in silence, Jared glaring at Dan, Dan glancing between the Jared and I, and I just kept my gaze on the sand. I lifted my eyes when I heard someone approaching, glad to see Leah making her way over, a waffle cone in each hand. She handed one to me and I took it with a quiet "thank you". Then Leah stared curiously at Dan, who was now looking at me, Leah, and Jared, who was still glaring at Dan. I licked my cone and shifted uncomfortably on my feet-my ankle was beginning to hurt, and my ribs were sore.

"Why isn't Kim resting?" Leah questioned accusingly. Jared stopped his glaring and turned to face me, his expression worried.

"I'm fine," I said, but we both knew that I was lying. Ignoring my protests, Jared scooped me up and carried me to his truck without giving Dan so much as a goodbye. Leah followed us, picking up everything that we had left lying in the sand. We all climbed into the truck, and there I fell asleep, surrounded by my favorite people, clutching an ice cream cone.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Thank you all for being patient and sticking with the story! Just played at the first home game for my school; the football sucked (we lost by 65 points) but the band was great!

Disclaimer: It _still_ isn't mine. Ugh.

Chapter 20

Kim

When I woke, I was tucked into my bed with the covers pulled up to my chin, still in the outfit I had worn to the beach. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I pushed the blankets away from me before slowly getting out of bed and making my way to my dresser. Pulling open drawers, I threw on a pair of black leggings and Jared's white t-shirt before grabbing my crutches and making my way down the stairs.

I reached the kitchen to see Jared rifling through the refrigerator. He looked up when I walked in.

"Hey, sleepyhead!" Jared said with a smile that lit up his face, before coming over and planting a heart-stopping kiss on my lips. He pulled away and sank into a kitchen chair, pulling me down with him and wrapping me up in his arms.

"Feeling better?" he asked, his voice concerned. I nodded, because it just so happened to be virtually impossible to feel under the weather when Jared was holding me.

"Good," he said, kissing my temple. "The elders are holding a bonfire-slash-council meeting tonight, I was going to just let you rest, but you're welcome to come if you feel up to it." I just nodded because I would follow Jared anywhere, as pathetic as that sounded.

"Hey, Jared?" I asked hesitantly, unsure how he would respond.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Dan?"

"He's an old…family friend." Jared told me, though the dark look in his eyes and the tone of his voice told me that the Dan and Jared were anything but friendly. I knew, however, that if he wanted me to know he would have told me, so I decided that a change of subject was best for both of us.

"I love you." I blurted. Jared chuckled low in my ear.

"And I love you; more than anything."

An hour later I sat and watched in disbelief as Jared took his twelfth hot dog and shoved it in his mouth whole. He noticed me staring and flashed me a big, toothy grin full of food and I scrunched up my nose-an unattractive habit that I just couldn't seem to kick.

"You're cute when you do that," Jared said, kissing the tip of my nose and giving me a whiff of his hot dog breath, causing my nose to scrunch up even more. Noticing my reaction, he came closer and closer until our noses were touching, and paused for a moment before leaning in to kiss me full on the mouth. I dodged his lips just in time and scooted back in the grass, just out of Jared's reach.

"That's not fair!" I exclaimed laughingly as he slowly approached. "I can't even run away!" I squealed when he moved his face just inches from my own, and rolled over playfully so that my face was hidden in the damp green grass. I looked up when I heard Leah calling my name.

"Quick, Kimmy! Hop on!" She knelt down to my level, and I wriggled away from Jared and hopped onto Leah's back just in time for her to spring to her feet and take off toward the beach, both of us laughing hysterically.

"Run, Leah, run! He's gaining on us!" She circled back around toward the fire, where just about everybody in attendance was laughing at us, in an attempt to shake Jared. We ran around and around the fire with Jared on our tail until we ran smack into Jacob Black, who had suddenly appeared.

"Hi, Jake," I said, trying to catch my breath from all of the laughing.

"Hey Kimmy," he said, a sparkle in his eye. He nodded to Leah, who nodded back. Her laughter had dried up, and she had instead taken to glaring the pretty, petite girl that was standing by his side. I slid off of Leah's back with one last chuckle, putting all of my weight on my good ankle and leaning on Leah a little to keep my balance.

"Kim, this is Bella," Jacob informed me in a way that told me that the previously mentioned sparkle was a direct result of this girl. "Bells, this is Kim." She gave me a small smile in acknowledgement, and I gave her a shy wave, and in this moment I couldn't help but think that this Bella was perhaps the palest person to ever set foot on the rez. Jared came running up behind us, crutches in hand, and I smiled at him in thanks when he handed them to me.

"Have you eaten yet?" Jared asked me, his voice concerned. I thought about it, then shook my head. "You should eat something. Especially before Jacob over here gets to the table." My eyebrows rose.

"Jared, you just ate twelve hot dogs. _Twelve_." Leah told him as if he didn't already know.

"I know, and I burnt them all off chasing after the two of you. I'm _hungry_." Jared said, his voice playfully whiney. I saw Leah roll her eyes dramatically, and I couldn't help but laugh.

When all of the food had been devoured, everybody gathered around the fire, intent on listening to what the elders had to say. I was excited to hear the legends again now that I knew that they were true. I looked around and saw Quil sitting with a sleeping Claire, Paul and Embry sitting upright, waiting for what was to come, Emily close to Sam with a spiral-bound notebook, and Collin and Brady lying on their stomachs looking up at the elders. Seth was nearly bouncing with excitement, and Bella sat on a bench with Jacob on the ground leaning against her legs. I sat snuggled into Jared's warm chest with Leah to my right. Billy Black cleared his throat, and Jared gently nudged me to tell me that it was starting. As time wore on, I could feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and I fell asleep to the majestic sound of Billy's voice, and the comforting, rhythmic beating of Jared's heart.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this update! My goal is to get one up at least once a week, but lately I've been pretty busy! Thank you for reading, and please review! You're reviews put the happy in my happiness!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thank you all for waiting so patiently for this next chapter! I know it came a little slowly, but I've been really sick these past couple of weeks, and wasn't up to writing…or eating, or walking, or talking. Needless to say I don't want to be experiencing that again. Well, read, enjoy, and please share your opinion!

Disclaimer: This is a real shocker: I still don't own anything related to Twilight.

Chapter 21

Kim

"I have _got_ to get out of there!" was the first thing Leah said to me as she let herself through my front door on Monday morning. I peeked my head out of the bathroom and spoke through a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Get out of where?"

"My house! Don't get me wrong, I love my Seth and my mom to death, but I'm nineteen, and sharing a room with my baby brother lost its appeal somewhere between the fourth and fifth grade." Leah walked into the bathroom and perched on the side of the bathtub as I rinsed out my mouth, taking the time to think.

"Live here." was my simple solution.

"Seriously, I-what?" Leah looked at me as though she wasn't quite sure I was being serious.

"Well, you could have the guest room, and you wouldn't have to pay rent, but I completely understand if you don't want to. I don't want you to feel like you have to-"

"Kimmy, this is perfect!" She stood up pulled me into a friendly hug; an act that I had never before seen from her. I smiled at the thought that I would no longer be living alone. I heard the front door swing open and closed again, and before I knew it, Jared appeared in the bathroom doorway.

"What's going on here?" Jared asked in a suspicious manner, eyeing Leah's smile.

"I'm Kimmy's new roommate." Leah said in a gleeful tone; Jared just stared at her incredulously. "That's right, bitch. I'm here to _stay_." I rolled my eyes at their antics and ran a brush through my long hair.

"Ready?" I asked Jared.

"As I'll ever be," he replied with a grin, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss that tasted like coffee. I pulled back reluctantly with a sigh, and grabbed my crutches as I headed out the door.

"The door's never locked, so feel free to move in today while I'm gone," I called to Leah, smiling thankfully at Jared as he held open the front door long enough for me to pass through.

When Jared and I entered the school, all eyes were on us. I heard the not-so-soft whispers as I crutched through the hallway, and heard the word 'suicide' thrown around a lot, but shook it off and kept walking. Jared escorted me into my first class, setting my backpack at my feet and helping me into my chair. He squatted down to look me in the eyes.

"If you need anything, just say my name." He told me with sweet sincerity. My expression went soft with those words, but any reply was cut off by the late bell.

"Mr. Thail!" My trigonometry teacher rose from his seat and sent a pointed look toward Jared. "I don't know where you are supposed to be right now, but I do know that it isn't here. Go to your first hour before I give you detention." Standing up, Jared mockingly saluted the teacher before kissing the top of my head and heading off to his first hour, causing my face to heat up until it neared tomato status.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was getting a little tired of all of the ridiculous gossip produced by the La Push rumor mill. Using the small bits of conversation that I had picked up throughout the first half of the day, I had pieced together the general story as to how I was injured. Apparently I was battling an extreme drug addiction which led me to become depressed, at which point I jumped in front of a car in an attempt to end my own life. In addition to all of this, the only reason Jared was still dating me was because the doctors had informed him that dumping me would cause my depression to spiral out of control. I had to make a conscious effort not to roll my eyes at that.

"Hey, beautiful. Ready to eat?" Jared came up behind me, wrapping his arms loosely around my midsection and kissing my temple. I smiled and nodded, fighting the urge to turn and wrap my arms around him and kiss him full on the mouth. I held onto my crutches instead, focusing on that wonderful warmth that spread through me whenever Jared's lips graced my skin.

"Mhmm," I sighed as he released me and headed toward his usual lunch table. "I packed you a lunch today," I told him with a blush before he could make a break for the lunch line. A smile spread slowly over his face.

"You did?" He asked hopefully, sounding like a child who had just been told Christmas was coming early. I nodded and flashed him a smile of my own as he pulled out my chair and set down my backpack. I unzipped the first pocket and pulled out the abnormally large brown paper bag that I had filled to the brim this morning. His smile became bigger and bigger as he pulled out everything that I had packed.

A huge tub of fettucini alfredo, an apple, and five home-made brownies later, Jared leaned back in his seat with a content smile on his face. I slowly chewed my own lunch, watching in amusement as the other boys looked sadly from Jared's empty food containers to their own.

"That's just not fair," Quil complained, crossing his toned arms over his chest and making a pouty face that elicited dreamy sighs from girls at nearby tables.

"What?" Jared asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The way you sit there and flaunt your food. It's not our fault we don't have a Kim to cook for us."

"And you never will," Jared growled, yanking my chair as close to his as was physically possible before deciding that wasn't good enough. He looped an arm around me and pulled me onto his lap, causing my face to burn bright red under my naturally bronze skin.

"Maybe if you asked nicely…" I trailed off, leaving all of the boys staring at me with hopeful puppy looks. It was at that moment that the bell rang, and Jared lifted me effortlessly off of his lap before setting me gently back on the ground. I looked up at him to say something, but the words were immediately lost when he hooked a hand around the back of my neck and pulled my lips up to meet his in a kiss that was gentle and slow and tasted like brownies. I was a little disgruntled when he pulled away, savoring the warmth that was slowly spreading all the way to my toes before opening my eyes.

"So you have lessons after school?" Jared asked as he walked me to band, my last class of the day.

"Not today, no. Today is rehearsal."

"Rehearsal? Rehearsal for what?" He asked curiously.

"Well," I answered hesitantly, "I didn't mention it, because I know you're busy with patrols, and I didn't want you to feel obligated, and I know how busy you are-"

"Come on, Kimmers, tell me!" Jared urged, and I shot a questioning look in his direction about the new nickname. "It seemed to fit the moment," he stated with a shrug.

"Well, tonight is our spring concert, the last one of the school year." I told him a little hesitantly. With the exception of the other band students, most teenagers didn't want to spend their free time going to a classical music performance.

"It would be my honor to attend." He flashed me a stunning smile and held open the door to the music annex.

Jared

It was a little hard for me to believe that Kim actually thought for even a second that I wouldn't want to go to her concert. It was clear that she loved her music, and I loved anything that made Kim happy. I held the door to the music annex open for her, ignoring the neon sign informing me that I wasn't permitted past this point if I was not a music student. Walking into the band room was a little bit like walking into a whole other school. Gone were the plain white walls of the main building, replaced with brightly colored posters, quotes, pictures, awards, a huge dry-erase calendar, and an elevated podium facing rows of chairs. Music stands and instrument cases were everywhere, but what was most striking was the complete lack of your everyday, run-of-the-mill classroom order. People were everywhere, standing, sitting, playing, talking.

"Need some help, Kim?" the question came from a small girl carrying a set of drumsticks.

"That'd be great, Lila, thank you." Kim replied with a kind smile. Lila took Kim's backpack from me and took a quick look across the room.

"You should leave before Ms. Kinsey sees you. She'll freak." Kim nodded and shot a nervous glance toward a woman standing by the podium. I dropped a kiss on Kim's forehead as a goodbye and walked to my last class.

When the last bell rang, and I headed out to my car, I was unpleasantly surprised to so see Daniel Rowland leaning against my truck.

"What are you doing here, Dan?" I tried to control my voice, but it still came out like a growl.

"Well, I must admit, I thought you'd be a little bit more excited to see me." Dan said, his tone arrogant. "I just thought that maybe you could help me with a little…_project_ while I'm in town." With his words, I felt my hands begin to shake, but my voice came out calm and deadly.

"What makes you think that I'll ever help you?"

"Well, that's just it…you already have. You helped me once before, and you'll do it again. You'll do it because your girlfriend thinks you're perfect, and you don't want to jeopardize that. You'll help me because if you don't, cute little Kimmy isn't ever going to look at you the same again." And just like that, my whole body was shaking, almost vibrating, and Daniel was beginning to notice.

"Dude, what the hell's wrong with-" he started, but the sentence was cut off when my hand wrapped itself around his throat, and lifted him off of the ground like he weighed nothing more than a feather, and I pulled his face close to mine.

"I'm not going to help you." I stated; my voice calm. "I'm not going to help you, and you're not going to do anything about it. You won't talk to Kim, you won't look at Kim, you won't even breathe the same _air_ as Kim, because if you do, you'd better believe that I'll find out. And if I find out, there is not a thing in this world stopping me from tearing you limb from limb. Got it?" I didn't bother waiting for an answer. "Good." And with those words I released him and watched him gasp for breath as he staggered to his car and drove out of sight before running off into the woods.

A/N: I hope this extra-long chapter helps to make up for the extra-long wait! Thank you all so much for your patience and for your reviews!


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Hey guys! I'm really sorry for the wait, but I've been a little busy trying not to fail chemistry! Here's a brand new chapter just for you! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: It's not mine; I think we all get it.

Chapter 16

Kim

Sitting in a hard folding chair, I poured all of my concentration into my music, playing my solos with rehearsed ease, until the lights brightened in the school gymnasium and the auditorium erupted in applause. I looked up over my music stand to find the entire front row staring directly at me. I felt a smile grow across my face until it almost split my face in two as the whole pack clapped and whistled for all they were worth.

"Kimmy! That was amazing!" Jared was the first to reach me, gathering me up in his arm and planting a kiss on my lips that made my toes curl. A voice cleared behind me, and reluctantly tore myself away from Jared. His arm stayed around me as I turned, wrapping his long arms around my shoulders and pulling me in close.

"Hi, Ms. Kinsey," I said, my face turning red at the thought of what she had witnessed. I attempted to break free of Jared's embrace, but he only pulled my in closer and rested his chin atop my head, and I watched as my favorite teacher sized up my giant wolf boyfriend and his giant wolf family.

"You played wonderfully, Kimberly," complimented Ms. Kinsey, and I smiled brightly.

Jared

I watched with admitted humor as Kim tried to squirm from my arms under the gaze of her favorite teacher. Knowing that neither of us truly wanted the loss of contact, I pulled her in closer to me and rested my chin on her head of perfectly curled ringlets. It was a little impressing that the tiny woman before me with the wild hair and intelligent eyes didn't even look intimidated by the cluster of above-average sized people that surrounded her.

"You played wonderfully, Kimberly," she complimented matter-of-factly, and I immediately like this woman who could so easily make Kim smile.

"Is this your family?" Ms. Kinsey asked Kim curiously, who looked down at the ground, undoubtedly thinking of her sorry excuse for a father.

"Yep, that's us," came Paul's reply from behind me. Kim's saddened expression turned to one of contentment, and I knew that I would walk on water to keep it there. Bending down, I pressed a kiss to Kim's cheek before releasing her, grabbing her crutches from Embry, and trading them for her instrument.

"If Kim needs any help putting away her things, I would allow that." She said to me with a knowing smile. "It was nice to meet you all," She threw over her shoulder before joining a group of staff near the entrance.

"Wow. That's different," Kim said, her voice surprised.

"What's different?"

"She's allowing you to break the golden rule."

"Golden rule?"

"The golden rule is no non-band members in the band room. It's trumped only by the platinum rule, which is no whining." Any response was cut short when Leah pushed passed me, and wrapped Kim in a friendly hug that seemed to shock everyone.

"You were great, Kimmy-cub!" She said, pulling away and ruffling Kim's hair. Seth and I've got to get to patrol," Leah glared pointedly at Sam. "So I'll be home really late. See you guys later!" As she left, dragging Seth along with her, everybody but Kim was staring after her, completely stunned by her uncharacteristically cheery mood.

Walking into the music annex was like being in a Band Geeks Gone Wild reality TV show, or something of the like. Shoes, music, and various clothing items were flying across the room. Two shirtless drummers and a tuba player were playing a rhythm that the whole band seemed to know. There was clapping and dancing, and most surprising were the well practiced, if slightly suggestive, lyrics. I was shocked to hear Kim join in with the song as if it were second nature.

"Is everybody ready for this?!" A voice shouted over the commotion.

"Yeah!" The whole room shouted in return.

"I _said…_" the voice continued. "Is everybody ready for this?!" Instead of replying, the few players began a new tune, and I looked over at Kim, who was laughing and singing along with everybody else, more comfortable than I had ever seen her in a crowd.

"Lets get naked! Yeah, I said get naked!" The song went on, and Kim laughed and lowered herself into a chair before handing me her crutches. Moments later, she was in nothing but a tank top and a pair of spandex shorts, and I was alert for anyone who had the balls to even look at Kim.

"Come on, Jare," she said, sliding on a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt. Crutching her way out to the parking lot and to my truck, I saw shock register on Kim's face as she took in the scene. Across the windshield of my beat-up old truck, written in red, was the word _Liar._ Daniel was so dead.

A/N: I know this was short, but I'll have the next chapter out within a few days, so keep an eye out for it! This was a really fun chapter, and I got to write a new side of Kim! I don't know about any of you out there, but after a performance my band gets pretty crazy…and our director pretty much just locks himself in his office. This time is traditionally filled with inappropriate singing and shouting suggestive phrases at the top of our lungs! If anyone else has a similar experience, feel free to share! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Hello to all of you, and thank you for reading, reviewing, and being patient! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Yep…It's still not mine.

Chapter 16  


Kim

I could not, for the life of me, figure out why someone would write the word _Liar_ across Jared's windshield. Jared was caring and loving and wonderful, and he most certainly was _not_ a liar. Sure he had lied about being a werewolf, but he had only done that to protect me. I wasn't ready for the truth then.

"Who would do this?" I asked, staring at the truck before climbing in.

"I don't know," came Jared's answer, in a voice I had never heard him use, setting off warning bells in the back of my mind.

"Why would somebody do this?"

"I don't know, Kim," he answered as he slammed his door shut and sped from the parking lot. Neither of us spoke until Jared's truck was idling in my driveway.

"You're not a liar, Jared. Would you like me to tell you how I know that?" He nodded his head, not meeting my eyes. "I know that because you're terrible at not telling the truth. You know exactly who did this, and you know why."

"I didn't want to tell you," he said, "because I didn't want you to think less of me." I knew I should be worried by what he was going to tell me, but I also knew that I wasn't. That I would love him the same no matter what. Lifting my hand, I smoothed it over his cheek before running my fingers down to the base of his neck and into his soft hair; a gesture that I knew would comfort him.

"Danny," he said in a breath, finally meeting my eyes. I vaguely remembered him from the beach. "I met him a couple of summers ago while he was staying with his aunt on the rez. He's always had a knack for weaseling himself into places he didn't belong, and as it turns out, so did I. He knew I was saving up to buy a car someday, and he told me that he knew a way to make money, but that it could get us into a little bit of trouble. I was just fine with trouble, so I said yes, and promised to keep my mouth shut.

"We broke into a few houses and took little things that we knew wouldn't be missed. Most of the time they didn't even know anyone had been in their house. It didn't feel right, but the money was good, so I kept at it. Then one night we were heading to Forks, and I saw Danny with a gun, and I told him to get rid of it, but he kept saying that he 'needed it'. So I told him I was out…then I told Billy Black, Jacob's dad, who's friends with the Forks police chief. I returned everything that I stole, told the police everything I knew about Danny. I got off with a warning and some community service, but Danny went to juvie for a while." Jared said it quickly- almost in the same breath, and I took a couple of moments to soak everything in.

"Thank you for telling me," I said softly, wanting to put an end to the worry that was so evident in his wonderful eyes. I scooted closer-taking initiative for once-until I was squished between him and the steering wheel, never once breaking our gaze. "Nothing in your past will ever change how I feel about you right now. You're not the same person, Jared." With that, I let my mouth come crashing down on top of his, loving the feel of his lips on mine.

We didn't stop where we normally would; that carefully maneuvered barrier had been destroyed, and without question or hesitation I knew what would shortly follow.

"We should head inside," Jared said, his lips leaving mine only long enough to utter those few words. I nodded in response, and he wrenched open his door, scooping me up and carrying me in his warm arms into the house and up the stairs, to deposit me on the bed. There was no hesitation or nervousness to be found that night, only love and bliss as we slipped into our own perfect world.

A/N: So, I hope everyone liked this! And just in case I had any of you wondering, yes I do know that a person's 'first time' is pretty much just plain uncomfortable, especially for teens, but just go with me on this. Embrace the imprint-bond magic! More soon!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I think we all get it. Twilight's not mine.

A/N: Thank you all for waiting such a long time for this chapter! I'm so sorry about the long wait; I swear I don't know where the time goes! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and the next will be coming very soon!

"Before marriage? I'm positively scandalized!" I laughed as Leah put one hand over her heart and shot me a look of feigned shock. I rolled my eyes, and she winked playfully and flashed me a wolfish grin. "So what's the lucky guy up to today? Patrol?"

"Yes," I said with a woeful sigh.

"Well it just so happens that I have the perfect distraction, Kimmy-kins," I raised my eyebrows questioningly, silently wondering if I should be worried. "We're going shopping…because I have a date." I couldn't quite hide my shock as I squeezed her excitedly and waited to hear more. "Well…" I urged.

"I met him in Port Angeles while I was running an errand for my mom. He's cute, he has a twisted sense of humor, and he doesn't know my whole sob-story because he isn't from around here." Leah looked genuinely excited; something I had never before seen, and I was completely happy for her.

"Well then, let's go!" I stood from my place at the kitchen table and grabbed my messenger bag as Leah snatched up her keys and threw on a pair of shoes. She looked as beautiful as ever, but softer somehow. She stood tall and proud as always, but not rigidly so, and her short, sleek hair framed a fiercely beautiful face that was softened by a smile. Not bothering to lock the front door, we jogged through the rain until we reached the safety of Leah's truck, closing the doors and leaving La Push in our rear view mirrors.

"Where will you be eating?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know, but it had better be impressive," Leah replied. "I'm not going through all of this trouble just to eat at the local burger joint." I pulled something off of a rack, replacing it when Leah shook her head in disapproval.

"Try this one," I said, pulling a dress off the rack and handing it to her. She looked at it incredulously before glancing back at me. "Please?" She sighed and grumbled something under her breath before heading into a changing area and sighing deeply when all of the dressing rooms were full.

"Hold these," she said, stepping out of her jeans and top and thrusting them into my arms. I raised my eyebrows but decided to let it go; patience was not a virtue that was possessed by Leah Clearwater. A man with a matching shirt and name tag that read 'Phil' wandered into the waiting area, grabbing a rack of clothes and beginning to wheel them out before stopping abruptly and doing a double-take. Leah met his eyes and the employee's jaw dropped.

"A picture would last longer," Leah snapped, and Phil's face turned beat-red in an instant. He ducked his head and wheeled the clothes out of the room and Leah pulled the dress over her head, completely unfazed. Turning to look in the mirror, Leah gasped at her reflection, and it was obvious why; she was stunning. The simple deep-red dress hung from her curves and ended just above the knee. The color, similar to that of her wolf, made her bronze skin shine.

"This is the one," she breathed, glancing once more at her reflection before taking her own clothes from me and slipping them back on.

"Where have you been?"Jared asked from his place on the couch when I walked through the front door.

"Shopping," I said, laughing as he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer and closer to him until I flopped down and used him as my own personal couch, my back against his warm chest. Jared let go of my hand to wrap his arms around my midsection as he kissed my cheek, that wonderful heat spreading through my body once again.

"I don't mean to interrupt this touching moment and make things all about me but-oh, wait! That's exactly what I'm trying to do! Come on, Kimmy." Leah grabbed my hand and yanked me to my feet, and I hit Jared's shoulder disapprovingly when he growled at her. I was pulled up the stairs and into the once-vacant room across from my own. A family portrait of the Clearwaters was perched on the nightstand along with a no-nonsense alarm clock, and a few of the dresser drawers had been left haphazardly open.

I went to work, covering Leah's head in hot rollers as she swiped on a coat of mascara. I hadn't even known Leah owned mascara.

"Don't be nervous," I said, twenty minutes later, squeezing her hand as she glanced anxiously at the clock.

"Nervous?" she pretended to scoff. "Please. I look _hot_." It was hard to argue with that; Leah looked absolutely gorgeous. When a knock sounded at the door Leah slipped on a pair of flats and we made our way down the stairs. We reached the living room just in time to see Jared pull open the door to reveal a handsome, pleasant-looking man around Leah's age and height. His hair was light brown, his skin a little on the pale side, and his eyes kind.

"Wow," he said when his eyes fell on Leah, and a smile crossed her face. It took him a moment to tare his eyes from Leah and turn them to Jared, who had an arm looped around my waist.

"I'm, Nick," he said to Jared and shaking his beefy hand and then my own much smaller one. I had to give him props for not even blinking at Jared's size.

"Ready to go?" he asked Leah, holding the door open for her as the two left. I looked up to Jared who looked back down at me.

"Our Leah's growing up." I rolled my eyes.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Kim

"How does it feel to be a free woman, Miss Connweller?" Jared asked me as we left the doctor's office and headed home. I smiled and rolled down the window, enjoying the rare sun while it lasted.

"Wonderful," I said simply. I had finally ditched the crutches, and it was the perfect way to begin summer vacation. With Jared to help pass the time, the school year was soon replaced by summer vacation, and we were content to spend its entirety together.

My cell phone rang from its place in my purse, and I answered it without bothering to glance down at caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered distractedly as a breeze came in through the window and Jared's thumb traced patterns on the back of my hand.

"Kimberly." The cold voice on the other end of the phone caused me to go rigid.

"Dad?"

"Yes. Janice and I are hosting a party on Saturday evening, and I expect you to be there. You may bring Jason if you must, but none of your teenage nonsense will be tolerated. This is a family affair and it is very important to my firm. Arrive by five thirty and dress nicely." The other end of the phone went dead and I blinked a few times before realizing that Jared's truck had come to a stop in front of my house.

"You're not going," Jared's voice was matter of fact, and I knew he had heard the whole call. I raised my eyebrows and wrenched open the passenger side door before he could get to it.

"I'm not?"

"No, you're not. You can't keep letting him treat you like this."

"He's my father, Jare."

"And that makes it okay for him to push you around and treat you like you don't matter?" His voice rose slightly in anger, and mine followed suit.

"He can't tell me what to do, but it's perfectly okay if you do? That's so hypocritical! You don't get to tell me what I will and will not do! I can do whatever I very well please, and I don't need your blessing!"

"Kim-"

"No!" I interrupted him. "I'm not your dog. I'm not going to just do as you say! I haven't seen my father in months, and I am sure as hell not going to miss out on him actually _wanting_ me to come! This is important to him, so it's important to me. Go home, Jared." I marched up the porch steps and stormed through the front door, slamming and locking it for the first time in years. It was after I had shut myself in my room and curled up on my bed that I realized that I had probably overreacted. Jared had only been worried about me; Jared was always worried about me. He was the first person in my life that I could truly depend upon, and I had put that in jeopardy. I rolled onto my feet with a sigh, padding over to turn the heat up once again. I missed my walking space heater.

"You're so mopey," Leah said from her spot on the couch, staring at the television and flipping through the channels one by one. "It's bringing me down. It's been two days, so just call him already." Leah had a point, even if I didn't want to admit it. I was miserable.

"I can't. I have to leave soon. Are you sure you don't mind me borrowing your car?" I asked uncertainly, staring intently as I attempted to add French tips to my nails.

"Of course I'm sure," Leah replied before she snatched the bottle of nail polish and painted perfect white tips to each of my nails.

"Thanks," I said absentmindedly as I went to the window and peeked past the curtain, feeling disappointed with the absence of Jared's truck in the driveway. "I guess I should be going," I turned away from the window and slipped on a pair of stilettos-my least favorite shoes.

"You look great," she said with a smile.

"I don't feel great," I said with a huff, flopping onto the couch, crushing the perfect sating bow that Leah had tied, and sending my carefully curled hair into disarray. "It feels like someone came along and punched a hole in my chest."

"I think I can fix that." A deep voice said from the doorway; that beautiful voice that I loved so much. Slowly I lifted my gaze from the floor to Jared, and when our eyes I felt myself smile a smile that I thought would split my face.

"Hey, by the way, I called Jared. Bye." Clicking off the television, Leah slipped past us, out the door, and into the woods. Suddenly feeling light, I floated over to where Jared was standing, and made myself at home in those warm arms that I had missed so much.

"I'm sorry," he said pleadingly, but I just smiled and kissed him happily.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Thank you all for being so patient and I'm really sorry about the wait! My only excuse is that technology hates me. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 26

Kim

"Don't be so nervous, Kimmy," Jared said from behind the wheel of his truck, lifting my hand to his mouth and kissing it as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "You're perfect." He took his eyes off of the road long enough to send me a look that told me he meant every word.

"Thank you," I told him sincerely, leaning over in my seat to press a kiss to his clean-shaven cheek. "But I don't think my father is quite on the same page." With a sigh and a shake of his head, Jared pulled the truck to a stop on the side of the road and was out of the vehicle and opening my door before I even had the time to question it.

"We're going to be late, Jare-"

"We'll be fine. Don't worry so much." And then he leaned down and kissed me in a way that was so completely and utterly perfect that I had no choice but to listen. The butterflies that had made a home in my stomach disappeared. Of their own accord, my arms wrapped themselves around Jared's neck, and to pull me up to his height, my Jared wrapped his arms around my waist and settled me so that the toes of my heels rested on his shiny black shoes. We stood there like that, locked together in the most breathtaking kiss, slowly melting into each other until, much to my chagrin, Jared pulled away. Breathing hard to catch my breath, I was fairly certain that I could give up breathing entirely if it meant that I never had to stop kissing Jared.

Without another word, Jared reached into the pocket of his black dress pants and bulled out a long string of dark-stained, hand-carved beads. In the midst of the beads was a perfectly carved miniature wolf, the word _'forever'_ written across the wolf's body in careful scrawl. Hot tears welled up in my eyes threatening to overflow, and as my gaze locked on Jared's, a fat tear rolled its way down my cheek.

"Don't cry, Kimmy," Jared said frantically, swiping away the tear. "You don't have to wear it if you don't like it, or I can get you a new necklace, one that doesn't make you cry-," I cut him off by pressing my lips to his, pouring all that I could into that one kiss and storing away what I couldn't for later that night.

"It's beautiful," the words came out in a whisper, and Jared was beaming as he slipped the beads over my head to rest around my neck.

"We should go," Jared said, reluctantly releasing me from his embrace and helping me back into the truck.

"The top floor?" Jared inquired an hour later, pushing the elevator button when I confirmed. The elevator doors closed and a slow song played softly in the background, and when Jared pulled me close and began to sway, I didn't object.

Jared

My smile almost split my face in two when Kim let out a musical little laugh as I spun her around and around in the elevator, and when the doors dinged open I spun her out of the elevator and dipped her as a grand finale. I kissed the tip of her perfect nose as I set her upright once again, making sure she was steady before fully releasing her. I tore my eyes from Kim only when her blinding smile faded away, and her flawless cheeks reddened in embarrassment. The guests of Mr. Connweller's soirée had all ceased in their hobnobbing to stare at our little dance. Wrapping my hand securely around Kim's, I led her through the crowd and to her father who stood in the middle of the room with his twig-girlfriend, speaking to a stout balding man.

"Kimberly!" Her father acknowledged her presence with a pat on the shoulder. "This is Mr. Stein, a very important client to my firm. His daughter is in the media room with the other young adults. Why don't you join them?" My hands began to shake as Kim's eyes filled with tears at the brush-off. I fought the urge to grab him and beat him until he realized how wonderful his daughter was. I wanted to force him to make her feel loved, like she was the center of his world. God knows she was the center of mine.

Kim turned away before I could do anything, and I, of course, followed closely behind. Behind the door was a small group of people around our age spread out amongst the two televisions and pool table. There was a Goth-looking girl drawing on her arm with a sharpie, a few average-looking guys playing pool, a bleach-blonde with her nose buried in her phone, perched on the lap of an athletic looking guy who's gazed was fixed on the television screen.

"Well this looks…fun," I muttered sarcastically, just loud enough for Kim to hear, who rolled her eyes and elbowed me discreetly in the side. I pretended that it hurt. Spotting a couch, I flopped down and pulled her with me, pulling her feet over my lap and tugging off the shoe that I knew that she hated. Her grateful smile had me walking on air as I gently massaged warmth back into her always-frozen feet.

"I'm Keera," an unknown voice spoke, and I looked up to find that the bleach-blonde had looked up from her phone and was now staring unabashedly at me.

"Jared," I said politely. "And this is Kim," I said, running my finger up her foot and grinning what was probably a smug grin when she gave a shudder that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. I just winked when she gave a half-hearted glare.

"This is Brian," the girl interrupted, clearly not used to being forgotten. Brian looked away from the TV long enough to give a me a nod of acknowledgement and look Kim over in a way that made me want him blind. I could think of a lot of effective ways to blind a man.

"Are you from around here?" Keera asked, still looking directly at me.

I shook my head. "We're from La Push. It's a reservation around Port Angeles," I added when she met me with a stereotypical blank look.

"Oh. Well, I guess that explains the necklace." She gestured to the necklace that Billy Black had taught me to make. "Is that, like, your tribe mascot or something? Is it available in casinos everywhere?" Keera chuckled at her own joke.

"Is that dress available to hookers everywhere?" Kim snapped, her hand wrapped protectively around the small dark wolf. I watched her face as she realized that she had said the words aloud, her hand flew to cover her mouth, eyes wide, and face a deep red under her bronze skin. Pulling her close to me, I kissed her proudly on the lips, and fell in love with her all over again.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: I'm really sorry about the wait for this chapter and I appreciate your patience! I've been really busy and super sick (a horrible combination) for the last few months and everything has finally slowed down enough for me to write this. This is the last chapter for this story, but I am considering writing a sequel about a different wolf and imprint. Thank you all for reading and for the wonderful reviews! I hope you enjoy this last chapter!

Officially Disclaimed (with the exception of my own characters).

Chapter 27

Jared

"There's food," Kim gestured to a large table of food near the main gathering room and slipped her delicate feet into her shoes before taking my hand and pulling me to my feet-or rather, she tugged on my hand until I stood. As we each grabbed a plate, I snuck extra food in Kim's plate whenever she wasn't looking because I knew that she hadn't eaten all day. We retreated back to the game room, Kim very obviously ignoring Keera's presence. Her phone beeped softly and she sighed when she read the message on the screen.

"Leah says she's in the area and wants to 'drop by'." Kim told me, dropping her phone in her lap and massaging her temples. "I left her the address in case of an emergency." Taking her hands in mine and kissing her temple, I flashed her a wolfish grin.

"I think Leah could do this place some good," I told Kim with a wink. She sighed again.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said with a dark chuckle.

"Kimberly!" Kim's dad called when we had finished eating, and we both looked up from the card game we had begun on the floor.

"Yes?" She asked, her voice hopeful.

"You'll be staying here tonight. You can have a sleepover with Keera. Won't that be fun?" The question was rhetorical and Mr. Connweller ignored the negative shake of Kim's head and the indignant "No" that came from Keera. "Keera, your mother and father have left, and they say that Brian can stay as long as everything stays PG. The same goes for you, Kimberly." Mr. Connweller was almost convincing in playing the role of concerned father.

"A sleepover?" a familiar voice inquired from the doorway. I looked up and chuckled. "Am I invited?"

"Just who exactly are you, young lady?" Mr. Connweller was eye level with Leah when he turned to face her.

"I'm Leah Clearwater. I live in your house, Daddy-o." She patted his shoulder as she passed through the doorway. "So who's Keera? She's not replacing me, is she Kimmy-kins?" Leah, clad in jeans and a t-shirt, flopped down on the floor next to Kim and surveyed the room. "Ten bucks says Keera's the slut," she stage whispered to me and Kim with a wink. Kim moved her hand to cover her smile and I chuckled, putting down my cards and slinging my arm around my imprint.

"You are most certainly _not_ invited," said Kim's dad, sounding put off.

"I'm _crushed_," Leah said, putting a hand over her heart. Before getting back up and peering through the doorway. "Is that food I see?" Mr. Connweller's face turned an interesting shade of red as Leah brushed past him and everyone in the room watched as Leah grabbed two plates and began to fill them both. Kim's dad took a deep breath and turned to Kim.

"I want her gone." Was all he said before turning on his heel and leaving us in his wake. I pulled Kim close and kissed her cheek, expecting her usual reaction, when instead she pulled herself from my arms, stood tall and marched into the main room.

Kim

I wasn't sad. I wasn't disappointed. I was angry. I was angry for the missed birthdays, for the lack of phone calls, that I had grown up alone. I marched into the main room and through the party-goers until I reached my father. I stood directly in front of him, and he ignored my presence in favor of the food on his plate.

"No," was the only word I uttered, but he cocked one eyebrow and lifted his eyes to meet mine.

"Excuse me?"

"No, I'm not going to ask my best friend to leave. No, it's not okay that you missed my birthdays, that I spend every Christmas alone. It's not okay that you hang up on me every time I call. It's not okay that you moved away and left me behind. The way you speak to me isn't okay, and the way you treat me isn't okay. I'm not just some toy that you can take off of the shelf whenever it's convenient for you."

"I don't-" my father started calmly, but I cut him off.

"Yes, you do. I don't want an excuse, because there won't ever be one that's good enough. For the longest time I thought this was my fault. That maybe I was just unlovable. Why wouldn't I? Mom left, you left. But it's never been me; it was you all along. I have a family now, and whether you want to be a part of it is up to you, but I'm finished being ignored." Not acknowledging the curious gazed fixed on me, I walked past my father and to Jared, weaving his fingers through my own and kissing his knuckles before linking arms with Leah and stepping into the elevator without looking back.

The doors slid shut and the elevator began its downward descent, and we all stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Leah lifted the plate of desserts that she had taken, offering me one, and we all began to laugh. We laughed in the elevator, and in the dank parking garage, and it didn't matter why we were laughing, only that it felt great.

We parted ways with Leah, who was visiting Nick, and we drove with the windows down and the radio on full blast all the way back to La Push.

"Let's go to the beach," I said, wanting the waves, sand and stars. Jared smiled and kissed my cheek, pulling up alongside the beach and killing the engine. I kicked off my shoes, peeled off my nylons, and unzipped the back of my dress, hating its confining fabric. Jared raised an eyebrow before laughing a beautiful carefree laugh and removing his own shoes and socks and leaving them behind as we moved toward the sand.

"So you don't get cold," Jared said in explanation when he unbuttoned his shirt and re-buttoned it onto me, rolling up the long sleeves so that they didn't cover my hands.

"I love you," I blurted and he grinned.

"Not as much as I love you." And before I could argue, his mouth was on mine and we were in the sand as a tangle of limbs. That familiar tingling heat spread from my head to my toes and I was positive that this is how we would spend forever.


End file.
